Red Dead Salvation
by SPARTAN JOSEPH-122
Summary: What if you had a chance to make a difference for the lives of so many people? Even if those people weren't real in your time? Thomas White, a city boy from the present time finds himself brought into the world of RDR2 in the year 1899. He knows how the game ends originally but now has a chance to make changes for the Van Der Linde Gang. Rated M for violence, language and sex.
1. Chapter 1

Red Dead Salvation

Foreword

My name is Thomas White. My friends and family usually refer to me as Tom. When I was little, everyone called me Tommy.

To anyone who reads this journal, know that everything I write is the absolute truth. No matter how strange it all sounds, I promise that none of this is made up.

If this journal is found in my dimension, this is the story of how I survived a completely new world and made changes in the lives of my new friends and the people I have grown to love. And how it changed me into a better man.

And to anyone who finds this in the world I was brought into, this is the story of a man from another time and place. And how I was able to change the world for the people I grew to love and care about.

These people are:

Dutch Van Der Linde

Hosea Matthews

Arthur Morgan

John Marston

Bill Williams

Javier Escuella

Abigail Roberts Marston

Jack Marston

Mary-Beth Gaskill

Charles Smith

Lenny Summers

Molly O'Shea

Sadie Adler

Tilly Jackson

Sean McGuire

Reverend Orville Swanson

Susan Grimshaw

Kieran Duffy

Karen Jones

Simon Pearson

Uncle

Josiah Trelawny

Leopold Strauss

These people took me in when no one else would. This is the story of how I was taken from one and into another one.

December 10, 2018

To anyone who finds this journal and has already noticed that I'm from the future, bear in mind that I'm from another dimension in which the events that happen in this story did not happen in my country's history. Meaning that while the events that have happened are real, they weren't real in my world.

But here's a little backstory of my life.

At the time of this entry, I'm 28 years old, 6' tall, 200 pounds and an average build. And so, you all know what I look like, I'm a Caucasian with brown hair and blue eyes. And preferably I liked having facial hair but because of the job I had, I either had to keep it short or had to shave it frequently.

I was living in New York City with my dad, stepmom and our two pets. A dog named Tucker and a cat named Bootsie (out of those two pets, I miss Bootsie the most). I had an older sister who had recently married her boyfriend after being together for 10 years. I lived a relatively peaceful life and nothing exciting. Little did I know how much that was about to change.

I had just returned home from work. It was another long night at the job. But the job paid well and the people I worked for appreciated what I do for them. I worked the night shift 5 nights a week and I usually slept during the day. My usually routine was that I would come home, take care of the pets, get something to eat, take a shower and then go to sleep. Sometimes I would play a game before I go to bed. And ever since Red Dead Redemption 2 came out, I've been unable to put It down. I had already beaten the game once and I wanted to see what would happen if I had made some different changes.

After I took care of the pets and got some breakfast, I decided to play for a while before I took a shower. I had just started a new game and was watching the opening cutscene when all the sudden I started to feel really dizzy. At first, I thought it was because I was tired. But there have been times where I didn't go to bed until noon, so I knew it wasn't that. I then thought maybe I ate something funny, but It wasn't anything I didn't normally eat in the morning. The last thing I remember was that I fell back into my bed and I lost consciousness.

When I awoke, I found myself laying on the floor and I was in another city. But it was a lot smaller than Manhattan and It looked as if it wasn't finished being built yet. Buildings were still under construction and there was more space than anything in Manhattan.

When I stood up, I realized that I was still wearing the clothes I was wearing when I lost consciousness. I was wearing a black Express shirt, a pair of jeans and my timberland boots. I also still had my wallet, my keys, pocket knife and my cellphone in my pockets. I reached for my cellphone and called my dad but there was no answer. It said the number I was calling wasn't in service. I tried calling my mom, my sister and my brother-in-law and got the same results.

I turned off my phone and decided to ask anyone around If they could help me. As I started to look around, I had a feeling that I was in some real deep shit. Because when I looked at the people in the town, I realized that they were all wearing clothes like the ones you would see in a spaghetti western or any other western movie for that matter.

I had turned the corner of the street when I bumped into a young lady. She had reddish brown hair, freckles on her face and the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen on a woman.

"Beg your pardon miss."

"No trouble at all sir."

But as she was turning the corner, I couldn't help but feel as if I've seen her before. I was about to continue my way when I heard screaming coming from the direction I had just left. I ran back and saw the young lady being held by the throat by another man. The man had the look of a thug. Someone you didn't want to mess with. He looked all muscles and little to no brains. He was about 6'6 feet tall. I heard him say to her:

"You little bitch! You think you can steal from me and get away with it?!"

"I haven't taken anything from you sir! Now please let me go! You're hurting me!"

"Oh, I'm about to do a lot more than hurt you! Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to damage your pretty face. The rest of your body, on the other hand, I intend to do a lot to."

As soon as I heard that, and I saw the way he looked at her, I knew I had to do something. No matter where I was, I would try to help someone. It was in my nature to help anyone in need. I stepped out and shouted:

"Hey!"

He turned around and saw me standing with a small pocket knife in my hand.

"Put the lady down and walk away."

The let her go and said to me:

"Fuck off freak! This is none of your business!"

"You are holding that little lady and what you plan to do to her makes it my business."

"Why? Do you know her?!"

"No. But if there's anything I hate more in this world is a bully. And you're nothing more than bully who's so ugly he'd make a hippo look beautiful."

He let her go and started walking in my direction.

"Say that again."

"I said: "the hippo called! He wants his body back!"

"All right freak. Now you have my attention."

I saw him pull something from his belt. I could tell that he was holding a Bowie knife. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. For all my tough talk, I've never actually been in a knife fight before and this guy looked like he knew how to use it. But there was no going back now. I hoped that because I was smaller than him, it would give me an advantage. I was about to find out. I flicked my fingers and taunted him to come at me.

He came at me bellowing like a grizzly bear and swung his knife to cut my throat. As if on instinct, I ducked under him and stabbed him in the shoulder. Now he was mad. He bellowed with rage and grabbed my wrist and tried to stab me in the chest. Using my other hand, I grabbed his wrist and tried to hold it back. But It was getting closer.

"Once Im finished with you, I'm going to take my sweet time with her."

That gave me my second wind. I moved my right leg so that the knife went past my head. I then grabbed him by the shoulders and head butted him. I said to myself:

"That wasn't a good idea. They make it look so easy in the movies."

I was starting to feel dizzy again, but I had to keep going. Unfortunately, the thug was back on his feet and charging at me before I could see clearly. He charged at me with such force that it had me on my back and pinned to the ground. He started to punch me in the face and in my chest. I thought he was going to beat me to death. And then found his knife and held It above me.

With one arm holding me down and the other holding the knife above my chest, I punched him in the face and held his wrist with my one free hand. I knew I drew blood because I could see it coming from his mouth. Once again, it was getting closer to my chest and unlike before, I couldn't move my legs as he had those pinned down as well. My first knife fight and not only was I was going to lose the fight, but I was also about to lose my life. I closed my eyes and prepared for the final blow.

I then heard a roar of pain. The man released me and put his hands on his side. I realized that there was a fresh stab wound there. I saw the young lady holding my pocket knife and there was blood on it.

"Now you're really going to get hurt you little cunt!"

He ran straight towards her. Without any hesitation or any other thoughts in my mind, I grabbed his knife and ran after him. Just he was about to grab her, I jumped on his back and started stabbing him in the chest. He continued to roar in pain and tried to reach for me, but I continued to stab him. After stabbing him six times in the chest, I stabbed him in the neck and his body collapsed to the floor face first.

I warily stood up and after removing the knife from his neck, I asked her I she was all right. She nodded.

"I'm very glad to hear that."

I smiled. Luckily, all my teeth were still there. But I had a cut lip and my mouth was hurting. Along with my face and my chest. I knelt and helped her up to her feet.

"And thank you. For saving my life."

"Well thank you for coming to my rescue."

She kissed me on the cheek. I blushed. But after the adrenalin rush, my injuries were starting to take their toll. The last thing I remember was falling and her arms catching me. I vaguely remember hearing voices shouting:

"Help! Someone please help! This man has been hurt!"

I heard footsteps approaching and then, everything turned black.

* * *

Author Notes

Greetings my fellow outlaws! This is my first ever Red Dead Redemption story. I've seen a lot of stories where either Arthur is given a second chance in life or someone is transported to the past and becomes a part of the history of RDR. I thought I would do something a little different. I wanted my character to be transported into the game but in their world, it's all history. So, I thought it was a neat idea worth trying.

The name I chose for my character is a combination of Thomas Jane and Colt White. For those of you who don't know, Thomas Jane, who played as Frank Castle in the 2004 Punisher movie, also did the voice Colt White in the GUN video game, a criminally underrated western game.

Please read and review! Thanks and I hope to hear from you all real soon!


	2. Chapter 2

April 10, 1899

Great Plains, West Elizabeth

When I woke up, my head was still hurting, and I still couldn't see clearly. But my other senses were working fine. I heard rushing water and knew I was near either a stream or a river. I smelled fresh pine trees and knew I had to be somewhere in the woods. It felt like I was sleeping on either a sleeping bag or one of those portable mattresses.

My sight was starting to come back to me. I realized that I was laying in a tent big enough for two people. I was laying on my back and I realized that my chest was wrapped in bandages. I also felt a bandage wrapped around my head.

I started to sit up and moved my feet on the floor. I knew I was somewhere in the woods, but my feet were touching a hardwood floor. I was about to try standing up when I heard a woman's voice saying:

"Oh no! You shouldn't be standing! Not yet anyway! You're still hurt!"

I tried telling her that I was fine but when I tried to stand up, my legs were weak, and I landed back on the bed.

"I don't want you to say, "I told you so". So, I'll admit that you were right."

I lay back down on my back. I heard a wet towel or washcloth being ringed. As I laid there, I saw who I was that was taking care of me. The same young lady I saved before.

"Either this Paradise or Hell is trying pull a trick on me."

"Why do you say that, sir?"

"Because you are too beautiful to be from this world."

"Oh stop! You're making me blush!"

"Then I guess that means I'm doing my job well."

I winked at her and she blushed more. She removed the bandages from my head and put the wet washcloth on my forehead. She asked me:

"How are you feeling?"

"Truth be told, not the best."

She smiled and then said to me:

"You foolish man. What were you thinking? Risking your life for a complete stranger?"

"Well I was thinking that you needed help. And it's my nature to help people. Besides, I wasn't going to let some prick try and rape a beautiful young lady like you."

I heard a man's voice this time.

"And for that, we owe you a debt of gratitude my good man."

I saw a man that looked to be in his early 40s. A Caucasian man with black hair on his head and a black mustache. He had brown eyes and seemed to be very fit for his age. He had rings on both of his hands and had a pair of Schofield Revolvers. He was wearing a very nice suit and an awesome hat.

As soon as I saw him, I knew who he was. Dutch Van Der Linde. Leader of the Van Der Linde Gang and one of the most wanted men in the Wild West But I played it cool and didn't let him know that I already knew who he was.

"We owe you a debt of gratitude for what you did. You saved Ms. Gaskill's life."

I replied and said:

"It was nothing sir."

"Nothing? In all my years, I've never seen anyone take on an O'Driscoll with a knife and win. Especially someone with a knife as small as this one."

I saw him holding my pocket knife. I said to him:

"Well I didn't think he was going to take me seriously if I didn't have anything in my hands. So, it was either that or nothing."

"Well I for one, commend you for your bravery Mr…"

"White. Thomas White. But folks call me Tom."

We shook hands. He had a strong and firm grip. He could sense the same about me.

"Well It an honor and a pleasure to meet you Mr White. I'm Dutch Van Der Linde. And I see you've already had the pleasure of meeting Ms Gaskill."

"Oh please. Just call me Mary-Beth."

I held out my hand and we shook hands.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you properly Mary-Beth."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr White."

"Also Dutch, I would really appreciate it if you called me Tom or Thomas if that's all right with you."

"You've got it, my good man. When you're feeling better, have a look around. There are some people here who would like to meet you. It seems that you've drawn quite the crowd with my gang."

"Will do sir."

Dutch left me and Mary-Beth in the tent while he went to join the rest of the gang. I still couldn't believe it. Not only was in the same place as the Van Der Linde Gang but I just shook hands with Dutch Van Der Linde. I thought to myself:

" _If this is a dream, please don't wake me up."_

I looked at Mary-Beth and asked her:

"So how long have I been here?"

"Just a day. I brought you in here yesterday."

"I'm surprised you didn't just take me a doctor in the city."

"Well I wasn't certain how bad your injuries were. And besides, we don't have spend that much money if we take care of each other here. Plus, I felt responsible for getting you into that mess."

"I already told you, it was no trouble at all. I would have done that for anyone who was trouble."

"Well thank you anyway for what you did."

"It was my pleasure. So, has there been anyone else that has been taking care of me since I got here?"

"Mostly it's been me. But Tilly, Karen, Abigail and even Mrs. Grimshaw have all pitched in to help."

"Dutch wasn't fooling. I really have drawn a crowd."

"Oh, you have no idea. It wasn't just your bravery that got everyone's attention."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. For one thing they're curious about your clothes. We've never seen clothing like that before. Where are you from?"

I wanted to tell her the truth, but how could I tell someone that not only am I from the future but I'm from a world where all these people were originally in a game? So, in a sense, these people never really existed in my world. I could never tell them that. They would either think I was crazy, or it would shatter them. So, I told her a half truth.

"I'm from Manhattan."

"Really? What's that like?"

"It's never boring there that's for sure. You wouldn't believe how big the buildings are. Some are so big you would think that they would be as tall as mountains or trees."

"Wow."

"Yeah. And in the center of the city is Central Park. It's our own little patch of heaven in middle of all those buildings."

I continued to tell her about what New York was like, but I was careful not to tell her too much. And when asked me what I was doing so far from home, I told her that I was writing a novel and I wanted to find some inspiration in the Wild West. And I told I think I found some.

She then told me that she really enjoyed reading and wanted to write stories too. And we just started talking about books we enjoyed. I figured it was okay if I told her about some of my favorite books from my time because they wouldn't be made or known in this world. But after a while, I asked her:

"Just out of curiosity, how long should I stay in bed?"

"Just a day or two at the most."

"So, does that I mean I get to see more of you in the next few days?"

"Oh, hush up you. But yes. You'll be seeing me and probably the other girls for the next few days."

"I look forward to it. But seriously, thank you for saving my life."

"Well thank you for coming to my rescue."

I reached for her hand, brought it close to my face and kissed it.

"You're very welcome."

She blushed and excused herself. Saying that she needed to get more bandages. I could hear the ladies giggling. I didn't know about what, but I assumed it was about me.

I just laid in wondered where I was exactly. Because I remembered that when I started the game, it was just when the opening credits were starting when I blacked out. If I had started at the beginning of the game, I would have ended up in the snow storm they were in at the beginning. And I remember Mary-Beth mentioning the names of all the girls except one: Sadie Adler.

Which could only mean one thing: Somehow, I had been transported into the game before the Blackwater Massacre. Which means I was about to either witness or hear about the botched robbery that started all of it.

I kept these thoughts to myself. I pondered about wether telling Dutch that the robbery was going to fail or if it was too soon to do something.

First things first. I needed to be able to stand on my own two feet and then I would prove myself to them and show them that I can be useful and that I want to be a part of them.

So, for the rest of the day, I laid in bed and gathered my thoughts. I had the pleasure of being cared for by Mary-Beth. She changed my bandages a couple of more times and she even brought me some fresh stew made by Mr Pearson. She offered to feed me, and I told her that it was nice of her to offer, but she didn't have to if she didn't want to. Eventually we came to a compromise. If I was still feeling lightheaded, she would feed me. If not, I would feed myself. I was able to eat most of it myself but after a while, I was starting to feel tired, so she fed me the rest of it.

I asked her to give my compliments to Mr Pearson and she said she would. Then she came back and put a blanket around me. I then said to her:

"I have a feeling I'll be feeling better in the morning. I'm not going to lie, I'm going to miss having my own personal nurse."

"Oh, shush you. But I am glad you're feeling better."

"All thanks to you and your friends. Well tomorrow, I'll properly introduce myself to the rest of the gang. Have a good night Mary-Beth."

"Good night Thomas."

I saw her leave and I let my eyes shut and I fell asleep. I don't know if it's because I was sleeping in place with less noise or because I had so many people taking care of me, but I fell asleep quickly that night.


	3. Chapter 3

April 11, 1899

Great Plains, West Elizabeth

I awoke the next morning feeling very refreshed. Like for the first time in a very long time, I was able to sleep the entire night without any interruptions. And any pain I had was gone. Well, at least as far as my head was going. My chest still hurt but not as bad as it was before. I stood up and saw a nearby mirror. My face had a couple of bruises but other than that, I was as good looking as always.

And to my delight, my gold chain was still around my neck. I have a gold chain with some very important things on it. It's one of my precious possessions and if I was going to live in this new world, I would have to take care that no one took it. I've had it around my neck since I was a little boy. I feel completely naked without it.

And all my rings were on my fingers. One of them is a silver ring around my right ring finger. It was the last gift my grandmother gave me before she passed away. It's another item that I don't want to lose in this world.

I was very grateful that the gang didn't pick my pockets while I was knocked out. I saw my shirt all clean and folded. But I also found a new set of clothes. A black duster coat, a pair of suspenders, a vest, a bandanna, a new pair of cowboy boots with spurs, and a pair of calvary gloves. I also saw a gambler's hat, a lasso, a Bowie knife and a cattleman's revolver inside a holster and on a gun belt.

I put on all those things and when I looked in the mirror, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was an actual western man. I was in the Van Der Linde Gang and now I looked the part. And I said to myself:

"Well, Thomas old boy, let's go introduce ourselves properly this time."

I stepped out of the tent and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The entire Van Der Linde Gang at its full strength. Everyone was there. Even the ones we didn't see at the beginning. Davey, Mac and Jenny. I've only heard of Mac and Jenny and I saw Davey die within the first few minutes of the game. So, in total, I was looking at a total of 25 gang members. I was completely speechless to say the least. If this was a dream, it was one I didn't want to wake up from. I saw everyone in the gang doing chores or talking to each other or playing games.

"Well, it looks like our guest has decided to join us for the day."

I turned to my left and saw an elder gentleman approaching me. I immediately knew that it was Hosea Matthews, co-founder of the Van Der Linde Gang.

"Yes sir."

"I'm glad you're feeling better, son."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome Mr White."

"Please, call me Thomas."

"Very well Thomas."

We shook hands and we both had a strong firm grip. I saw Dutch coming my way and shouted:

"Could I have everyone's attention please? Thank you! Now this young gentleman is Mr Thomas White. I'm sure you've all heard of this fine young gentleman. And now you can see him. This man, right here, saved Mary-Beth's life from a member of the O'driscoll gang. And he fought him with a knife so small it might as well be a toothpick. The point is, this brave fool, risked his life for someone he didn't even know. And he did it because it was the right thing to do. So please, make him feel welcome here. Introduce yourselves and show him how much we appreciate his kind act."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and walked in my direction. The first person I spoke to was the oldest woman in the group and I knew I was speaking to Susan Grimshaw.

"Mr White, you saved the life of one of my girls. From the very bottom of my heart, I thank you for your selfless act."

"It's was no trouble at all Miss."

"Humble and has manners. I like you. I think you and I will get along just fine."

"Thank you kindly Miss…"

"Grimshaw. Susan Grimshaw. But most people around here just call me Mrs. Grimshaw."

"Well thank you kindly Mrs. Grimshaw. I'll do my best to stay on your good side."

"Smart boy. And I'm very glad those clothes suit you."

I smiled and nodded at her. I realized that she must have been the one who picked out my clothes. I'll have to find someway to thank her later. For the clothes and for not giving Mary-Beth a hard time the entire time she was taking care of me.

I then spoke to all the male members of the group. I shook hands with all of them and I couldn't believe how kind they were to me. And they were really impressed that I took on a large man with a small knife. I especially got along well with Arthur, John, Bill, Javier, Sean and Charles. Charles in particular because I told that my preferred weapon of choice was a bow. I told him that I did archery back home. Which I did, but I had a compound bow instead of a regular bow. So, I would still need some practice, but I would do better with that than any other weapon.

I then spoke to all the ladies in the group. They were very grateful for what I did in saving Mary-Beth's life. I also asked them if there was anything that I could do to help around the camp. That surprised them. Not that many men would offer to do "women's" work. I told that I have a sister back home and that we shared all the responsibilities, so I had no problem offering to help clean or do some of the other chores in the camp. They were very pleased that there was a man willing to pitch in and help.

And then there was one man that I hated with a complete and utter passionate hatred for. Micah Bell. I saw him, and I wanted nothing more than to shoot him right there and then. But I had to play smart. As much as I wanted to kill him, even then I knew it wasn't the time or the place. I swore that Micah would die before he destroyed the gang. I had already seen him destroy it once, I wasn't going to let it happen a second time. I approached him.

"And you are…"

"Micah Bell. It's a pleasure Mr White."

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine, Mr Bell."

We shook hands. Except this time, both of us gave a really strong grip. To him, it must have felt like we were trying to see who was stronger. To me, I was making it clear that I knew what he was and that I would be watching him like a hawk.

"That's one hell of a grip you got there, son."

"Thank you, Micah. I could say the same about you. Well I better go introduce myself to the other members. Thank you for your time."

"No trouble at all Thomas."

As I left him, I looked at my hand and saw how tight his grip was. He may have been stronger than me physically, but I was stronger in spirit and smarter than him. I was going to see to It that this sewer rat would be sent to the lowest circle of Hell one way or another.

I then saw two grown men sleeping in the middle of the day. It was Uncle and Reverend Swanson. They must have drunk so much they must have missed Dutch's speech. I grabbed a bucket of water and splashed it in their faces. I always wanted to do that. They woke up mighty quickly and started spitting out water.

"What in the Sam Hill was that all about?!"

"I just wanted to make sure that you both were still alive."

Both of them took a good look at me and realized who I was.

"Oh! You're that young man that saved Miss Mary-Beth!"

"Yes, I am Reverend. I just wanted to make sure that you both were still in the land of the living."

"Well thank you very much young man."

"You're welcome. Now let me help you both up."

I grabbed both their hands and pulled them up. As soon as they got up, they decided to do something useful for the day. Well Reverend Swanson at least. Uncle just went to the dining table and decided to play poker with Bill, Sean and John.

I also met Mr Pearson. He took a liking to me when I told him that father was a hunter and taught me how to skin and gut a deer. I also told him that he wouldn't have any complaints from me when it came to doing dishes or getting my hands dirty.

"Are you sure you're not an angel in disguise? Because Lord knows that having someone who is eager to help the cook is a blessing!"

I told him that I helped my mother with the cooking and that my usual responsibility at dinner was always doing dishes. Some things never change. *chuckles*

When I spoke with Javier, I told him that my sister is married to man from Colombia. I also told him that I had been to Mexico twice. Once in Cancun, the other in Cabo San Lucas. I told him that he had a very beautiful country and that I would like to go back sometime. That made him very happy. And we started talking about Mexico and what there was to see. And I told him that I took Spanish in high school, and although I don't remember much, I would continue to practice.

I also spoke with Bill. I told him that I have relatives that fought in wars and I told him that I had someone in my family who fought at the Battle of Gettysburg (I have an ancestor who fought for the south during the American Civil War and was a POW during the Battle of Gettysburg). He asked me who he was, and I told him that I don't remember (as I believe that my ancestor is from my grandmother's side of the family, so he must have her maiden name). But we found a lot to talk about and I told him that even If everyone else gives him a hard time, he would always have a friend in me. He really appreciated that.

By the end of the day, I made a strong impression on the entire gang. Once the sun set, I was approached by both Dutch and Hosea. Dutch then said to me:

"My boy, you have made a great deal of many people happy here in just one day. I haven't seen these many smiles in a long time."

"I have to agree with Dutch. Everyone has told me that they would be very pleased if you would consider joining our gang. Especially the women and Mr Pearson. I don't know how you did it, but they said that they would be very appreciative if you would stay. So, what do you think, Mr Thomas White? Will you join us?"

I looked to both of them and said:

"Gentlemen, it would be my genuine pleasure. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"You're very welcome Thomas. Now come with me. We're going to make this official."

I followed both them to the center of the camp and Dutch shouted:

"Could I have everyone's attention please? Thank you! We have a big announcement to make! Hosea and I have just spoken with Thomas here and asked him if he would like to join our little family here. And he said yes! So, welcome the newest member of the gang, Mr Thomas White!"

Everyone shouted and cheered. Anyone who had a drink in their hands, clashed their glasses or bottles together. Once I made my way to the group, everyone patted my back, shook my hand and offered me a drink. For the first time in a long time, I felt like a celebrity. And Mr. Pearson threw a massive feast. Arthur and Charles caught a bull moose outside of Blackwater. And it was delicious! I've had venison before but never have I ever had moose before.

After a long night of celebrating, everyone retired for the night. Everyone went to their tents. Because I didn't have a tent yet, I slept in a sleeping bag and under the stars. To see so many stars in the sky. It was incredible. You'd never see these many stars in Manhattan. It was one of the best nights of my life. And I closed my eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

April 17, 1899

Great Plains, West Elizabeth

It's been a whole week since I joined the gang. And I couldn't be happier with that decision. The last week I've been in this gang has been absolute bliss. I miss my family and friends back home. I also miss everything I had. But without any technology from the future, I feel at home. Like as If I don't feel like I need to know everything that's going on in the world. All I care about is the people I'm with and that's good enough for me.

The entire time I've been here, I've learned a lot. My first painful lesson was trying to break a wild horse. The first horse I caught was a beautiful black chestnut thoroughbred. He put up one hell of a fight. But after I caught my lasso around him and calmed him down, I jumped on his back. I ended up falling on either my ass or my back so many times I was about to give up. But eventually, I managed to break the horse and he's been mine ever since. I named him Widow-Maker, after the horse that belonged to Pecos Bill, a legendary figure in American history. Once I had Widow-Maker, I was able to join hunting trips and go anywhere I wanted.

Charles, Arthur and some of the others would usually go out hunting and they always asked me if I'd like to go with them. I enjoy going hunting with them. I feel so alive being one with nature. And we aren't hunting for sport. We hunt to survive, and no part of any animal gets wasted.

I remember my first hunting trip with Charles. We were over in the Great Plains and we saw a large herd of bison. In all my years, I've never seen anything like it. So many animals in one spot. And I felt very confident since we would be riding our horses as we hunted. It felt like being in the scene of Dances with Wolves. As we came close to the bison, I would aim for either their throats or heads, so that it would be a clean kill and the animals wouldn't suffer. Truth be told, I was nervous. I've never killed an animal before, but we needed food and I reminded myself that nothing would be wasted. And after I killed my first bison, I thanked the Lord for giving us this food and I thanked the spirit of the bison for its life and assured it that I would always thank every animal for what they will provide for us in every kill. Charles was very happy to see how much I loved and respected his culture. He said that I had a true warrior's spirit and the heart of a noble animal.

And because I brought a lot of pelts back whenever I went hunting, I was able to make my own satchels and my own tent. As much as I loved sleeping under the stars, I liked sleeping in a tent better. I also used the pelts and skins of animals to make things better for the rest of the gang. I helped the gang afford more money, so they could buy the supplies we needed and make things more comfortable for everyone.

Mr. Pearson and the ladies enjoyed my company. Mostly because I pitched in and help them more than most of the other members of the gang. I helped Mr. Pearson by bringing food whenever I could and did the dishes after everyone was finished eating. I helped the ladies by either helping them clean laundry or getting items for them. It also gave me an excuse to spend more time with Mary-Beth.

Arthur, John and a couple of the other guys would take me to go get some more target practice. With time and patience, I ended being good with any weapon. Aside from a bow, I was good with a Winchester repeater, a double barrel shotgun and I was a deadeye with revolvers.

And one thing I really enjoyed was going on fishing trips with either Javier, Dutch, Hosea or Arthur. It took me back to the days me and my dad would go fishing. Javier always gave me good fishing tips. One time, he even helped me catch a very large catfish.

If there was anything, I had difficulty with, it was always either poker or five finger fillet. I was still learning to keep a straight face whenever I had a good hand in poker. And the less said about five finger fillet, the less I'd have to explain my cuts on my fingers. I especially hated playing with Micah. Whenever he won anything, he'd brag about it like he just won the lottery. Besides, having a knife near him made it more tempting for me to want to kill him. So, I tried to avoid him whenever it was possible.

I also got along well with young Jack. I'd always tell him great stories. The stories he loved hearing the most about were the stories of Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Johnny Appleseed and Casie Jones. What really surprised me was that no one else in the gang had even heard of these men. So, I became something of a celebrity by telling these stories to anyone.

And I was very pleased that there were so many people who had a love for reading. Dutch, Mary-Beth, Jack, Arthur, Hosea, Lenny and even John I would find their noses stuck in a book. I had a long conversation with Dutch about one of my favorite books, Call of the Wild by Jack London. And I think that's because it reminded Dutch of his favorite author, Evelyn Miller.

Mary-Beth and I became closer when I told her that I had plans to become a novelist. We talked about romance books we enjoyed. One of my personal favorites was Pride Prejudge. Call me old fashioned but I really enjoy a story where love wins in the end. I also told her that when I write my book, I'm going to model a character after her. She blushed as red as a rose blossoming in the summer sun. She said that she'd like to return the favor if she ever wrote a book. I told her that I would be very honored.

I knew that if I was going to make some changes in this group, I would have to start small. And I thought one of the first things I should start with was the relationship between Dutch and Molly. Truth be told, I thought that they were good together but because Molly didn't do her fair share of work and didn't get along with anyone, no one really cared when she was killed. And I know Dutch was under a lot of stress on how things were going for the gang in the game, but because of that, he was ignoring her, and she was just trying to get his attention and that's what got her killed.

I decided that I was going to help her get Dutch's attention and help her get more respect and love in the gang. So, one day, I asked Molly if she would like to play a game of dominos with me. This how the conversation went:

"Hey Molly. How are you doing?"

"I've been better Thomas."

"What's wrong? You look so sad."

"It's Dutch. I don't think he loves me anymore."

"Now why on earth do you think that?"

"I see him talking to Mary-Beth these days."

"Oh, now I see. Molly, Dutch loves you. If he's talking to Mary-Beth, it's because he's teasing her since he knows that she and I have a thing for each other."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She's part of the reason I joined the gang. She saved my life and I saved hers. I've grown very fond of her."

She did look a little better but wasn't totally convinced. So that's when I decided to play a game with her and I made a bet with her.

"Tell you what? I've got a game for you that we can play, and I know how we can make it more interesting."

"Really? How?"

"How about a wager or a bet? If I win a game of dominos, then you must do everything I say for one whole day. If you win, then I'll be your personal servant for a day."

"Really?"

"Yep. Which means I'd do anything you'd tell me to do without complaining or arguing. But that also goes for you if I win. So how about it Miss O'Shea? Are you interested?"

"Mr Thomas White, you've got yourself a deal. But don't be surprised if I win. I'm very good at dominos."

"I'll believe it when I see it Miss O'Shea. Let's play."

So, we sat down and played a game of dominos. She wasn't kidding. She was very good. There were times that she came close to beating me but in the end, I won. She was disappointed that she lost but she kept her end of the bargain. I told her that I had something very special in store for her. That made her worried, but I told her it wouldn't be anything dangerous or humiliating. That made her feel better. Although I did tell her not to wear anything expensive for the next day because I didn't want her to lose anything valuable.

The next morning, I crawled out of my tent and after getting some coffee, I saw Molly wearing a plain looking dress. I thought to myself:

 _That's not exactly what I had in mind, but it will have to do._

So, after drinking my cup of coffee, I approached her and said:

"Are you ready for today?"

"No, but I always keep my word."

"Oh, don't worry. You and I are going to have a good time today. Trust me."

She nervously smiled and looked at me. I took her by the hand and took her towards Widow-Maker.

"Tell me Miss O'Shea, have you ever ridden on a horse before?"

"A long time ago I did. But I haven't in years. Truth be told, I'm afraid I'll fall and hurt myself."

"Well that won't happen if I'm right behind you."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm going to let you take the reins and I'll be holding onto you. So that way, if anyone falls off, it'll be me."

"But won't you just drag me down with you if you fall?"

"Nope. Because I trust you Molly."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So today is the day you get to go wherever you want and I'll be along for the ride. What do you say?"

"You must either have a lot of faith in me or you have a death wish. But either way, I hope you can handle me behind the reins."

"I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle."

I helped her get on top of Widow-Maker and I let her get in front of me. I handed her the reins.

"Lead the way, Molly."

Molly gave Widow-Maker a good kick and he was off like a bolt of lightning. After we were a good distance away from the camp, she really got Widow-Maker running. She was laughing and enjoying herself. She loved feeling the wind in her hair and that she was in control. She had us running for so long, I thought Widow-Maker was going to buck us off. But fortunately for us all, she knew when she was pushing to hard. And eventually, we stopped at Owanjiila, a spot not too far away from Strawberry. It was looking a big lake, but it also was near a dam, so we were still close to civilization.

Once we reached the lake, I got off and helped her down.

"Thank you, Thomas."

"Don't mention it, Molly."

I lead Widow-Maker to the lake and he started to drink. I petted him and said:

"Good boy."

I also gave him a sugar cube for his hard work. He greatly appreciated that. Molly held him and thanked him for not bucking her off. So, we sat at the edge of the lake for awhile while Widow-Maker kept drinking. Poor fella. Molly must have really been too exciting for him to handle. Molly then asked me:

"So why did you decide to do this for me, Thomas? You could have told me to do anything that you wanted me to do but you decided to let me ride on your horse and took me here. Why?"

"Because I believe that you want people to love you and you want Dutch to notice you. So, I thought to myself that I could teach you a few things that think would not only get his attention but that he would want to spend more time with you. And now that I've seen what you're like behind the reins, he's going to have a real difficult time keeping Ip with you if he challenges you to a race."

"You really think so?"

"Yep. I know you grew up in a very comfortable lifestyle and it's hard to adapt to this new way of life, but Dutch wouldn't ask you to come with him if he didn't want you around. And I think the best way to get everyone to notice is to not do something rash but do small things. Those are what people like to see. Every little bit helps, and everyone will enjoy being around if you help."

"Do you really think that will get Dutch to notice me?"

"Oh yeah. And if there's something else that you would like to do, like say, go fishing or go do target practice, I know that Dutch would jump at the opportunity to do that with you."

"All right! I'll do that! Not only will Dutch notice me, but I'll be the kind of woman people would like to be around!"

"That's the spirit!"

She hugged me, and I blushed a little. There was just one last thing to take care of before we went back.

"There's one good thing about spring. It thaws out all of the ice that was covering the water."

I then gave Molly a good shove and she fell in the lake. As soon as her head breached the water and shouted at me:

"What the hell did you do that for?!"

"You've been moping too much! You needed to cool off!"

She swam to the edge. I held out my hand to help her out. As soon as she grabbed my hand, she pulled me in with all her strength and now I was the one that was soaked. She laughed very hard. I swam to the surface and said:

"Well played, Miss O'Shea. Well played."

I decided that it was time to get back. We both got on Widow-Maker and I let her lead the way home. Fortunately, she wasn't so rough on him this time. And we got back to camp before sunset. Everyone looked at us and Dutch asked what happened. I said to him:

"Molly here, decided to show her adventurous side and after riding a long way on Widow-Maker, she decided to push me in the lake."

Dutch looked completely speechless.

"Molly…. I had no Idea there was this side to you. I like it! But please come back inside our tent and we'll get you a change of clothes."

Molly blushed and nodded. I smiled and headed into my tent to change my clothes as well. As I was about to change my shirt, I heard a voice from the outside.

"Thomas?"

"Yes?"

"It's Mary-Beth. Can I come in?"

"Of course. Come on in."

She entered my tent and sat down on my makeshift bed. After I changed my shirt, I sat next to her and asked:

"So, what brings you into my tent?"

"I just wanted to know why you were with Molly all day. After everything that happened between us, I was worried that you didn't like me anymore."

"Oh, Mary-Beth."

I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a warm hug.

"There's nothing going on between me and Molly. I just took her out because I thought she could use a day to herself. And besides, I was giving her advice on how she and Dutch could connect more. You have nothing to fear Mary-Beth. You're the only girl for me."

"Really?"

I kissed her on the cheek and said:

"Really."

She smiled and hugged me back. I pet her hair while she was hugging me. I then took her hands and said:

"Mary-Beth, you never have to worry about me. I'm not going anywhere without you. I am with you. Forever. The end."

She smiled and had tears of joy on her face. I held her even closer. I then said to her:

"Come on. Let's go join the others."

She smiled and followed me. We joined the others around the campfire and ate dinner. We heard everyone talk about what happened with Molly and me. They couldn't believe how exciting she was to be around. I then heard Susan say:

"So, can I except you to help out every once in a while, from now on, Miss O'Shea?"

"You just might, Mrs. Grimshaw. You just might."

"That's very good to hear. I think we might get along with each other from now on."

She smiled and went back to eating. I smiled, knowing that I had made a difference for the group. Molly was now happy and was being loved by everyone. Now I would have to help the rest of the gang.


	5. Chapter 5

April 28, 1899

Tall Trees, West Elizabeth

Well, my plan had worked to perfection. Molly is now doing her fair share of work and everyone's offering her to go to places with them. Whenever the girls go to town, they offer her to come along with them. She's even asked Dutch if she and the rest of the girls could get their own horses. He said he would think about it, but he seemed very pleased with the fact that she was being more considerate with the rest of the gang.

And there are times I would catch Arthur writing in his journal as well. So, I decided that like him, I would sketch out the animals and places that I've seen from now on. They say that imagination is a wonderful thing, but a picture can always help as well.

Mary-Beth and I are still together, and she's not worried about me hanging out with other women as I told her that my heart and soul belongs only to her. I'm hoping that I will be able to convince Dutch to allow several members of the gang to get married. Not just for myself and Mary-Beth, but also for John and Abigail. As well as Sean and Karen and Lenny and Jenny.

I knew that eventually that I would return to my own dimension and time. And that would mean that I would have to leave behind the people that I had grown to love and care about. But I didn't want it to end. So, I was going to live it the way I wanted it to be until I had no choice but to go back.

But my life with the gang has been nothing but bliss. I haven't had the opportunity to join the guys in any robberies yet. That's fine. It gives me more of an opportunity to know more about the gang and hopefully make some new changes.

One of the changes I was going to have to make is with Leopold Strauss. Leopold isn't exactly an honest man, but I can tell that he does care about the gang. And loaning money to people isn't a bad thing. The problem is that he's giving money to people that he knows won't be able to pay back either on time or Arthur would have to take something personal of theirs to consider the debt cleared.

I must make him change so that if I can't get Thomas Downes out of town before Arthur goes looking for him, then at least Arthur will be looking to collect money from someone else. And besides, I hated collecting money from people that needed it more than the gang did when I played the game.

Another small change I'll try to make is the fates of the Callander brothers and Jenny. As we see that Davy was dying after being wounded by Pinkertons when the gang was escaping from Blackwater in the beginning of the game. And unfortunately, we see Davy's dead body in the game. We were told that Jenny died offscreen and that Mac was killed by the Pinkertons when they were interrogating him. If I can't save all of them, I hope that I can at least save Jenny, for Lenny's sake.

I decided that I would try to change the way Strauss loans people money and who he loans it to first. That wasn't going to be easy. But then I remembered something. Something that I read about in the game guide before I got sent to this dimension. And once I tell Leopold this, I'm sure it will help him to realize that what he's doing is wrong.

So, one day, I asked Leopold if he could accompany me to the town of Strawberry. I told him that there was something that I wanted to show him, and I also told him that I would buy him a drink. So, after I took him to the saloon and we had a few drinks, I decided to ask him if he would be interested in meeting someone that I wanted to introduce him to. He said sure, but he asked me why I would want to introduce him to someone I know. I simply said to him:

"Because I have a very strong feeling that you're really going to love this person."

He looked confused, but he trusted me. I led him to a cabin that was close to the town. I knocked on the door and a young man greeted us at the door. He looked to be around 25 years old. He had blonde hair, blue eyes and looked like a strong, intelligent and kind young man. He asked us:

"Yes?"

"Good afternoon, my friend. Is your mother home?"

"Who wants to know?"

I flicked my fingers and asked him to come closer. After I whispered in his ear, he had a wide-eyed look and said:

"Of course! Please come in."

He led us inside the cabin and asked us to sit down while he went to get his mother. I could hear him shouting:

"Mom! You're not going to believe who's here!"

I smiled. Leopold looked at me and asked why I brought him here and what was with all the secrecy. I told him:

"It's a surprise Leopold. And one I know you're going to love."

Just as I said that, I heard footsteps coming down and I saw a woman. She looked to be in her early 50s. She had some grey hairs in her hair, but she still looked relatively healthy. Leopold then asked me who this woman was. I said to him:

"Leopold Strauss meet Anna Jones. Or should I say, meet Anna Strauss."

Leopold's eyes looked as bright as the suns. His jaw dropped, and he started to cry.

"Anna? Is it really you?"

"Leopold? Is it really you, my dear brother?"

He nodded, and the two siblings ran towards each other and hugged each other so tight. As if they never wanted to let go ever again.

It turned out that when Leopold was 12 years old, their father had sold his daughter into slavery in order to provide for the rest of the family. But this broke the hearts of Anna's brothers. Anna was only 9 years old when she was separated from her family. It turned out that Anna was sold to a man named Frederick Jones in America, who also had a small boy named James that was the same age as her.

And James instantly fell in love with Anna and demanded that she be released. His father refused at first, but James kept fighting until eventually, his father freed her. And to make up for everything that happened to her, James decided to take care of her for the rest of her life. Eventually, Anna returned her affections for James and when they were 22 years old, they married. 3 years later, she gave birth to their son, David. Unfortunately, James died a few years ago but he left enough money for both his wife and son to be in good hands for the rest of their lives.

We stayed for the entire day and I overheard the conversations between the two long lost siblings. I've never seen Leopold look so happy. When the sun was about to set, I told Leopold that we had to head back to camp. Of course, he didn't want to go, but I told him that we can always come back another time and that we can always write letters. He took comfort in knowing that at least he knows that his sister is safe and happy. And what's more, she offered him a place to stay should he change his mind. But before we left, Anna approached me and said:

"Thank you so much for reuniting me with my brother, Thomas! I haven't been this happy in a while. You've given me back my family!"

"It was my pleasure Anna. And don't you worry. I'll make sure that your brother stays alive and I'll try my best to keep him out of trouble."

"Well both of you are always welcome here."

"Thank you kindly, ma'am. We'll be in touch."

I tilted my hat to her and led Leopold to the horses. After we got on our horses and were riding back to camp, Leopold asked how I knew about his sister and where to find her. I couldn't very well tell him that I read It from a book or from a website from the future. So, I told him that I had a dream and that she was somehow connected to him. And I told him that one day while I was in town, I saw her, and I saw some similarities between her and Leopold. And the rest was history. And it was here that decided to do something that would make him change his mind on who he lends money to and how to do it. I said to him:

"I'm sorry to ask this Leopold, but I heard that your father sold your little sister in slavery to provide for you and the rest of the family. Is this true?"

"Regretfully, it is indeed true. And after that, I hated my father. I couldn't believe that he would do that to his own daughter."

"I don't blame you. I'd hate my father too if he did that to my own sister. But I would also hate the son of a bitch who forced my father to do something like that."

"Believe me Thomas, I wanted nothing more than to murder the monster who took away Anna."

"Good. So, can I ask you something else?"

"Of course."

"How would you like it if that happened to another family? Only the one that they had to pay back, was you?"

"I would never want them to do that to their own children. Or anyone in their family."

"Why? Because you don't want them to go through the same thing you did or because you know that they would come and kill you if it ever came to that?"

"Both."

"Good. So, I have an idea that could benefit both the camp and your conscious."

"Yes?"

"I know you loan money to people but the people you lend money to will never be able to pay it back with money. Most of them will have to give you things that mean the world to them. And for some, they would gladly die rather than part with their items."

"Yes. Go on."

"So, how about instead of loaning money to people you know that won't be able to pay it back in cash, how about you loan it to those that you know will be able to pay it back. And if some are still having difficulty with that, either offer to give them more time or tell them if there's anything that we can do to help them. You'll get more loyal customers if you are willing to help them."

"You make a valid point, Thomas."

"And besides, if things go well with a customer once, who's to say that they won't ask for help again?"

"Very true. I never thought of it that way. You are very wise for you're age. Very well, Thomas. I'll start doing that immediately."

"It's a deal, then."

I held out my hand and we shook hands.

When we returned to camp, Leopold told everyone about his sister, how I found her and my idea that could benefit us all. Dutch and Hosea were very pleased with my idea. And then we threw a celebration in honor of Leopold finding Anna.

After the celebration, everyone retired for the night and went to bed. As I laid in my tent thinking about all the changes that have happened so far since I got here, I heard someone approaching my tent. I got up with my Bowie knife at the ready. I opened the tent and I saw Mary-Beth outside. She was wearing a white nightgown.

"Hi Mary-Beth. What brings you to my tent this late at night?"

"I…. had a bad dream."

"Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear that. How can I help?"

"If it's all right with you, I'd sleep better if I slept beside you. I feel safer being with you."

I smiled and said:

"Of course. Come on in."

She entered, and I let her take up half of the bed. As she laid next to me, she asked me to hold her. I smiled and held her close. I could feel her her breathing becoming more relaxed. Soon enough, she was fast asleep, and I slept right beside her. I whispered to her:

"I think I've fallen in love with you Mary-Beth. And I want it to stay that way."

I kissed her forehead and went to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

April 30th, 1899

Great Plains, West Elizabeth

Now came the day that I have been dreading ever since I got here. The day that led to the events of the game in the first place. The robbery that goes horribly wrong. The Blackwater Massacre. Apparently, Hosea and Arthur were going to do something big that didn't require a lot of blood. But the instant Micah mentioned the steamboat to Dutch, he got so excited about the idea that he wanted to do that instead of going through Hosea's plan. It still makes me think that the sewer rat has been working for the Pinkertons since before the gang got stuck in Guarma.

I overheard a conversation between Dutch and Hosea on how it's going to go. Everyone except the women, Arthur, Hosea, Josiah, Leopold, Reverend Swanson, Uncle, Simon and I, were going to participate in the steamboat robbery. That meant that the ones going were Dutch, John, Bill, Javier, Sean, Charles, Micah, Lenny, Davey and Mac.

Dutch was going to have John, Micah, Bill, Lenny and Javier get onboard in disguises. They would board the ship and take everyone hostage. Dutch would shoot at the roof of the steamboat and demand everyone's attention. Once everyone gave their full attention and everything they owned to the gang, they'd hightail it off the ship and out of the city before anyone knew what hit them.

The plan did seem good. But I knew better. I knew how this was going to go down. The gang was going to get a lot of money from this and it almost went perfectly. But during the robbery, Dutch would either accidentally or intentionally shoot a young lady named Heidi McCourt. She'd be the first person to die in the massacre. And worse, the Pinkertons along with several bounty hunters and policemen will arrive and try to kill them.

And I couldn't help but feel as if Micah was still working for the Pinkertons this early on. Although agent Milton said Micah had been working for them ever since they got from Guarma, I felt like Micah was working with them earlier just to save his own ass. It wouldn't surprise me if he did. The sewer rat cared more about himself than anybody else.

I wanted to tell them that it's not going to work but would tell me to have faith and trust in him and the plan. I had to think of something fast. Or it was going to be Deja vou all over again. I then decided to take page out of Watership Down. If I couldn't tell them without sounding like I lost my marbles, I would have to play the role as someone who could foresee the future.

So, while everyone else was talking, I pretended to shake my body and I looked up at the sky. As if I was being possessed or something. Mary-Beth was the first to notice. I heard her say:

"Everyone! Come quick! Something's wrong with Thomas!"

Everyone came running in my direction. I was about to fall backwards and land on the ground, but Mary-Beth caught me and laid me down in her arms. I continued to shake for a minute and then I shut my eyes. I heard Dutch say:

"Is he all right?"

Mary-Beth put her head against my chest and said:

"He's still breathing."

I then opened my eyes and said:

"What happened?"

"I don't know, som. You just started shaking and then you fell. Lucky for you, Mary-Beth caught you."

I looked at her and smiled. I then said to Dutch:

"Dutch, you can't go to Blackwater."

"What?"

"What you just saw was me having a vision. And one where nothing good comes out of this robbery but death for so many people. Both in the gang and for innocent people."

"How much coffee did you have this morning, son?"

"I'm not going crazy Dutch! My visions and dreams have always come true. At least the dreams about the future."

I then heard Leopold say:

"He's right Dutch. He had a dream about my sister and where to find her and she was exactly where he said she was."

Dutch started to really think about it, but he still looked skeptical.

"How often do you see these dreams and visions, Thomas?"

"As often as they happen. Sometimes it could happen suddenly, or I'll see them in a dream and I'll see how events could go. It's not an exact science. And there's always one thing that I've always right about."

"And what's that?"

"My gut instincts. I can count the number of times my instincts were wrong with only one hand. And the number of times my instincts have been right, you'd have to use multiple hands. I won't stop you from going Dutch, but please listen to what I have to say. Also, if it's all right with you, I have a better idea for this plan."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Please, enlighten me, son."

"Yes sir. So, here's what I'm thinking. Instead of just taking the steamboat and its passengers' hostage from the docks, let's board the ship and tell the captain to take us out to the harbor. Once we're a good distance away from the mainland, we'll take everyone hostage. We then demand that they give us the money. Once we have everything, Charles will light a signal using his bow. That'll give some of the others that are still on the mainland the signal to come to the ship with multiple canoes. Once they arrive with the canoes, we put whatever we can on the canoes and then paddle away to shore. That way there's less of a chance of any innocent people dying and we'll have a better chance of escape."

Dutch looked at me and then asked me if I could be clearer about what I saw in my "visions" and what would happen if we stuck to the original plan. I told him that I saw that the robbery would go well at first, but many people will die. Some of them would be innocent people. And one of those people would be a young woman who had recently became a mother. And that we would lose members of the gang if we went through this robbery. When he asked me who, I told him that it would be Davey, Mac, and Jenny who will die. I told him that Sean would be captured.

After giving it some more thought, he looked at me and said:

"We're still going to go through this. But we'll follow up on your plan, Thomas. But just to make sure that everything goes well, I'd like you to come with us."

"You want me to come with you? Why me? If everything goes well, you won't need my help. And I've never done anything like a robbery before."

"Because you have displayed true loyalty to the gang. You don't want us to go because you're afraid for us all. And I think that you would feel better if you came with us to make sure that either these visions don't happen, or you can do something to make something else happen. Am I right, son?"

I looked at him and said:

"Yes. I've grown very fond of all of you and I don't want to lose any of you. I'm sure you all feel the same way."

"Of course, we do, Thomas. After this job, we'll have enough to provide for ourselves for the rest of our lives."

"I know, Dutch. And yes, I would like to come with you. Because at least then, I hope that I can do something to change what I saw in my vision."

I didn't know for sure if I was going to change anything this big, but I had to try. And I hoped that with my knowledge, I'd be able to spare more lives and see to it that innocent people wouldn't be killed. I told Dutch that I would go with him.

"Thank you, son. For believing in me. For giving us a great idea. And for trusting me.

"Dutch, I trust you with my life. But the instant I have a feeling something bad is going to happen, we pull out. I don't want my vision to come true."

"I understand that, Thomas. You've been good to us. And I want you to know how much you mean to this gang."

"Thank you, Dutch."

"Now, go grab your gear and be ready to head out. We're leaving soon."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, and Thomas. Don't worry about killing anyone. Most of the time, we only have to shoot at people who shoot at us. If we ever shoot first, it's either for intimidation or because we know they are bad people."

"Thank you, Dutch. That makes me feel better."

He smiled and patted me on my back. I headed for my tent and went to grab my gear. So, I grabbed my Winchester repeater rifle, my bow, a new pair of Schofield revolvers I had found in my journeys around the countryside, along with a handful of throwing knifes, sticks of dynamite and Molotov's. You know, the normal stuff.

I was just about to step out of my tent when a pair of hands pushed me back inside. The hands belonged to Mary-Beth.

"Mary-Beth, what in the Sam Hill are you…."

I didn't finish my sentence because Mary-Beth put her lips hard against mine in a deep and passionate kiss. I pulled her closer towards me and held her close. After she kissed me, she put her hands on my face and said:

"I don't want you to go. I've grown very attached to you Thomas, and I don't want to lose you before we've even had a night together."

I looked at her. I touched her face, smiled and said:

"I don't want to go but I have to make sure that they get out of this alive. Most, if not all, of them. And besides, I have to make sure that my vision doesn't come true."

"I still don't like the idea of you leaving. You and this gang are all I have left in this world."

I looked at her and said to her:

"Do you see this ring on my right hand, Mary-Beth?"

She saw the silver ring on my right-hand ring finger. She nodded.

"This is my promise ring. And whatever promises I make while wearing this ring, will remind me to keep my promises. So, this is my promise to you. I will return to you alive after this job. And if everything goes well, I'll see to it that you and I can have a good life together. And when I make a promise, I keep it."

Her eyes lit up with renewed hope and admiration.

"Just come back to me alive, Thomas. That's all I want."

"I will. But I need you to do something for me."

"Yes?"

"I still have a bad feeling about this job. Whether we succeed or not, we're going to have the Pinkertons on our ass. I need you to talk to Mrs Grimshaw and tell her to pack up everything. Because regardless of whatever happens, we're going to need to move and quickly."

"I'll take care of it, Thomas."

I kissed her again and told her that I will return to her and that nothing will stop me from returning to her. She smiled and said that I had better.

I left the tent and got on Widow-Maker. Dutch, John, Bill, Javier, Micah, Sean, Charles, Davey, Mac, and Lenny were already on their horses. Everyone was wearing different clothes so that wouldn't be recognized so easily. Before we left, I asked Reverend Swanson if he would like to say a prayer for us. He said he would gladly do it:

"Oh God, the Almighty Father! We ask you and your angels to watch over our friends as they are about risk their lives for this job. And please see to it that no innocent people are hurt in all of this. And we ask your Son to forgive us all for our sins and bring us to everlasting life. Amen."

"Amen."

Some of the men crossed themselves after that. The only one I didn't see do that was Micah (I figured he wouldn't.) So, the 11 of us headed for Blackwater. Dutch was at the head as always. John was on his right and I was on his left. Right beside me was Charles, Lenny, Sean, and Davey. Next to John was Bill, Javier, Micah, and Mac. I still had a bad feeling about this, but I hoped that with me being there, I'd be able to change things.

Once we were near Blackwater, Dutch looked through a telescope and saw that the steamboat was heading for the docks.

"All right, gentlemen. Let's go over the plan one more time. John, Javier, Bill, Micah, Thomas and I will board the ship and make sure it goes out of the harbor. Once we have the money, Thomas will give the signal. Charles, you and the rest of the gang will take our horses once we get near the harbor. Once you see the signal, that'll be your cue to get on the canoes and send them our way with the rest of the gang. Once you and the others arrive, we'll put everything in the canoes and head for the shore. This is it, gentlemen. After this, we are set for life! Now let's go and get rich!"

We all shouted and cheered. We then all kicked our horses and charged towards the city. When we reached the city, we all had our horses slow down and headed for the piers. Once we were near the docks, Dutch told us all to get in position.

Dutch, John, Javier, Bill, Micah and I headed for the pier. While Charles, Lenny, Davey, Mac and Sean headed further down the river to retrieve the canoes, along with our horses. As we approached the piers, I kept my eyes on Micah, to make sure he wasn't looking around for Pinkertons. As far as I could tell, he wasn't. But I still kept a close watch on the sewer rat.

When we reached the end of the pier, the steamboat was about ready to cast anchor. We put on our face masks. The men aboard the ship, tossed the ropes and tied them to the pier. They then lowered the gangplank, to let the passengers off. As soon as that was lowered, that's when we made our move. Dutch went first. The sailor heard our footsteps and said to him:

"I'm sorry sir but we're about to let people off the ship. You're going to have to wait until everyone is off. "

When he turned around, he saw six men armed to the teeth and had masks on. Dutch pointed a gun at his head and said:

"I'm sorry son, but I'm going to have to insist that everyone will have to stay where they are for the time being. Now would you be so kind as to take me to your captain?"

The sailor nodded.

"Smart choice, son. John, Bill, Javier. You three head up to the top floor with me. Thomas, Micah, Lenny. You three stay on this floor and make sure everyone stays put. Let's do this, gentlemen."

We all nodded and agreed. I was quite happy with this. It meant that I could keep an eye on Micah. We pulled back the gangplank and had the ropes pulled back in. So now the only thing keeping the steamboat in place was the anchor.

Dutch had the sailor escort him to the helm. John and the others kept the passengers where they were on the top floor. Micah, Lenny and I made sure there was no trouble on the bottom floor. Once we entered, everyone gasped and looked at us. I said to them:

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. For the next few minutes, we will be your new crew. Now we don't want any trouble. So long as all of you stay put, nobody gets hurt. You have my word."

They all looked scared, but they listened and nodded. I then heard the anchor being raised. The plan was coming together perfectly. The steamboat was leaving the harbor and headed further away from land. Once we were a safe distance from the shore and the anchor was dropped, I heard Dutch say:

"May I have everyone's attention please? Thank you! Now I promise all of you that we don't want to harm any of you. We're only here for the money that is on this ship. So, the sooner you help us, the sooner we'll leave. So, can anyone please tell me where the money is?"

A young member of the crew told Dutch that it was on the first floor. Dutch had the captain at gun point and had him take him to where the money is. Javier stayed on the top floor to keep an eye on everyone. I couldn't believe how much there was. It must close to about $100,000.

Micah was right. There was a lot on this ship. Speaking of, I saw the son of a bitch making looks at all the women on the ship. One in particular was brunette that looked to be in her late 20s. I had a feeling I knew who she was. I saw Micah try to reach either for her or for the diamond ring around her finger. Either way, I had to stop him.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

"Just helping myself to to this pretty ring around her finger. Is that a problem?"

"As matter of fact, it is. We're only here for the money. Jewelry wasn't part of the plan."

"It's just one ring. No harm in that."

"I said leave it, Micah!"

I grabbed him and pulled him away from her. I flung him across the room.

"Now go help Dutch and the others load up the bags! I'll make sure everyone stays put."

He gave me an angry look, but I didn't care. I gave him one of my angry looks. He picked up the bag and headed in to help Dutch. As soon as he left, I knelt to the woman and said:

"I'm sorry about that. Are you all right?"

She nodded.

"Is your name Heidi McCourt?"

She nodded again.

"I thought so. Look, I need you to do me favor and get to the very back of the ship. But do it quietly. You'll be safer there."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because I've already seen this happen before and I don't want it to happen again. So please, head that way and stay low."

She nodded and headed to the back of the ship. I then headed for where the rest of the gang was.

"How are we doing there, Dutch?"

"I think that's everything we can carry and put in. How are the passengers doing?"

"All quiet here. How are things going up there, Javier?"

"Esta todo bien, mi amigo!" (It's all good, my friend!)

As soon as I saw all the money, I said to myself:

"We're going to need a bigger boat."

"What?"

"Oh nothing. I just always wanted to say that. I'll go light the signal."

I headed up the stairs and when I opened the doors that led to the outside, I grabbed one of my flame arrows and fired it up into the air. About a minute later, I saw Charles, along with the others headed our way with the canoes. I told Javier that they were coming. He nodded. I then told Dutch the same thing.

"Good job, Thomas."

We still had the passengers stay where they were until the others arrived. Once the canoes arrived at the steamboat, Dutch had the captain drop a rope ladder down. One by one, the others were putting the bags in canoes. Once a canoe was full enough, the others would get in another canoe and started paddling towards the shore. The last ones to leave the steamboat was Dutch, John and myself. Before leaving Dutch said:

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you all for being so cooperative! Captain! You may return to the harbor now! A pleasure doing business with all of you!"

Once we were in the canoes and headed for the shore, I felt a sigh of relief. Dutch didn't have to shoot anyone, directly or indirectly, on the ship. And because we were away from the shore, there wasn't an army waiting for us. Everything seemed to be going to plan.

Or so I thought.


	7. Chapter 7

May 1st, 1899

Great Plains, West Elizabeth

My gut instincts were right. And this is one of those times that I wish I was wrong. We're now on the run from the Pinkertons just like what happened at the beginning of the game. We're making our way up to the Grizzlies West. With this massive blizzard, we're hoping to lose both the Pinkertons and the bounty hunters that are on our tails.

But before I go any further about what's happening now, I need to write down what happened after the robbery.

* * *

Right after we left the steamboat, I was feeling very confident that we were out of the woods and home free. Because not only did we get all the money that was on the steamboat, but we also did it without any innocent people getting hurt or killed. But I was still worried. As we approached the shore, we grabbed the bags and tied them to our horses. They were pretty heavy, but it didn't seem to affect the horses too much. As soon as we had everything, we got on our horses and headed back to camp.

When we approached the camp, everyone had everything packed and ready to go. Just like I hoped. Dutch had a puzzled look on his face.

"Why is everything packed? The job was a success."

Hosea spoke:

"Maybe so Dutch, but I don't think the law will just let us be after this. So, I think it's wise we get moving before they find us."

I responded by saying:

"I agree with Hosea on this one, Dutch. Just because we were able to avoid most of the things I saw in my vision, it doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet."

Micah spoke this time and said:

"You worry too much, Thomas. We got the money and we're far away from the city. I think we're safe here."

This made me think that Micah wanted us to stay because either he wanted all of us to be killed or captured. Why else would he want us to stay? Then I realized something. One of the bags on Micah's saddle seemed smaller than the others.

"Micah, get off your horse."

"What?"

"Do it!"

He got off and I got off Widow-Maker. To my horror, I understood why the bag seemed smaller. I swung a right hook across his face and said:

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU LED THEM RIGHT TO US!"

Everyone looked confused until they realized what I meant. The reason why the bag was smaller was because there was a hole in it. Micah has just left a trail for the Pinkertons to follow us. Everyone looked absolutely furious at him. He said:

"I'm sorry! I didn't know! I was paying attention to what was ahead, not what is right beside me!"

Everyone was yelling and cussing at him. Dutch didn't look happy.

"This is very serious, Micah. You may have just put us all in danger."

Mac said:

"You cocksucker! You might as well have- "

Mac never finished his sentence. As there was a gunshot and bullet went through his skull. Everyone ducked and hid for cover. I saw a flash of metal coming from the trees. I immediately knew what it was and shot one of my fire arrows at the direction I saw the flash. My arrow had hit its mark. Because I saw a man falling out of the tree and was on fire. And with his body on fire, it started a forest fire. That was a good sign. Because now the Pinkertons and the bounty hunters would have a difficult time trying to get us. I pulled out more arrows and shouted to Dutch:

"I'll hold them off! You get everyone out of here!"

I hid behind a dead log and used it as cover. I continued to shoot fire arrows at them. And then, I saw some of the gang members coming my way.

"No! Go help the others! We just lost Mac and I won't let anyone else die!"

Charles responded by saying:

"You need me, Thomas. I have more arrows."

"Davey said:

"I just lost my brother! And now these bastards are going to pay!"

Bill said:

"I ain't never been one to run away from a fight! And I'm not going to start now!"

Sean said to me:

"You're not fighting without me, laddie!"

I smiled and nodded.

"All right! But we must hold them off until everyone else has gotten away and we give them a head start! Dutch! After this, where do you want us to meet you?!"

"Head for the Tall Trees and we'll find you!"

"Got it! Now go!"

"Right! Arthur! I need you and the others to protect the women and Jack! I'll need your help in covering our escape! Since everything is already packed, we can leave immediately! Let's move out!"

I saw Dutch give The Count a kick and was leading everyone away from the ambush. Even though we were covering their escape, all the women had guns in their hands. Even Molly had a rifle in her hands. John, Lenny, Javier, and Dutch protected the wagons on the right side. Hosea, Micah, Uncle, and Arthur covered the left side. I felt better seeing the guys protecting the wagons. Once I saw them get out of the smoke, I shouted to the guys:

"All right, guys! The wagons are out but we still need to buy them more time! We have to hold out for at least ten minutes! That should buy them enough time for them to get ahead of the Pinkertons and enough time for us to catch up! Let's show these bastards who they're messing with!"

Bill was shooting rounds with his Lancaster Repeater. Sean was shooting shotgun rounds at any bastards that got too close. Davey blasted them with revolver rounds. Charles and I shot arrows at them. During the fight, Charles had his hand burned when he picked up an arrow that was still on fire. Davey got hit on the shoulder. The only ones not hurt were Bill, Sean and me. But luckily, we had bought the others enough time to get away and now we could leave as well.

"Guys! It's time for us to leave! Go get on your horses and catch up with the others! I'll be right behind you!"

Charles responded by saying:

"We're not leaving without you, Thomas!"

"Go! I have one more arrow left and I'm using my special arrow! You don't want to be around when I use it! I'll be right behind you! I promise! Now go!"

Charles nodded, and the others left. But not before picking up Mac's body. I saw them get on their horses and made for the clearing. Once I knew that they were a good distance away, I pulled out my best arrow: a dynamite arrow. I called out to Widow-Maker. He came to me and I got on him. I made for the clearing. I then turned around, aimed my arrow and shouted:

"SMILE, YOU SONS OF BITCHES!"

I released my arrow and it hit its mark. I saw bodies going up in the air and I saw more trees falling. Smiling at the satisfaction that it will take the Pinkertons quite a while to get through this wreckage, I gave Widow-Maker a kick and followed the trail of tracks left by the others. After a few minutes, I caught up with Bill and the others. Sean had asked me:

"What was that loud explosion, lad?"

"That was my special arrow. An arrow with a stick of dynamite. I try not to use it too much except for emergencies. And I figured that this was an emergency."

"Well done, laddie!"

He and the others patted me on the back and said that I did real good. We then followed the trail of wagon tracks. After a half an hour of riding hard, we caught up with the rest of the gang. Lenny was the first to spot us and said:

"Hey everyone! They're back! And they're safe!'

We heard them all cheering for our safe return. I approached Dutch and asked him:

"It'll take a long time for them to catch up with us, but we need to keep moving."

"Agreed. You and the boys did real good back there."

"Thanks, Dutch. I see the bags are gone."

"Yes. After we were a good distance away from the camp, I left the gang for a few minutes to hide the loot. We'll come back for it once we've lost the law for a few months."

"All right. And what about Micah?"

"He says that he didn't realize that there was a hole in the bag?"

"And do you believe him?"

"I'm not sure. I want to believe him but I'm not sure. For now, we'll just keep an eye on him until either he does something to redeem himself or I decided what the punishment is."

"Understood. If it's all right with you, I'm going to go check on the others."

"Go ahead, Thomas. But you don't have to be so modest. I know you really to see Mary-Beth."

"Is it that obvious?"

"If I was to say no, I would be lying. But I think you two make a cute couple. Go see her, Thomas."

"Thank you, Dutch."

I rode beside the wagon where Mary-Beth was. Inside the wagon was Molly, Karen, Tilly, Abigail, Jack and Jenny. I said to Mary-Beth:

"Hey, pretty lady."

"You know me. When I make a promise- "

"You keep it. I DO know how to pick them."

"Lucky me."

She leaned over and kissed me. The girls were giggling, and Jack was hiding behind his mother.

"I'm going to stay with the guys, but I won't be far. I assume you all know how to use a gun?"

"Of course we do, Thomas. We'll be fine."

"Okay. Then I guess I'll see you ladies later."

Mary-Beth blew a kiss in my direction and I pretended to catch it. The girls giggled again. I rode beside Arthur and John.

* * *

And that is how things ended up after the robbery. And if my hunch is correct, we'll be at the part where we will stop at the old mining town. And then from there, we'll meet Sadie Adler and Kieran Duffy. We'll have to wait and see.


	8. Chapter 8

May 4th, 1899

Grizzlies West, Ambarino

It's been 3 days since we left Blackwater. And luckily, the Pinkertons have lost our trail. Unfortunately, we were also caught in a terrible blizzard. The snow covered our tracks, but the snow is very thick and it's difficult to see in any direction. And because of the blizzard, we've barely seen the sun. And with all the snow, we were running out of food fast. And everyone has been freezing. Anyone who wasn't in the wagons, were being covered in snow.

And to make matters worse, Davey was severely wounded when he defended our horses from a cougar. So aside from his shoulder hurting from the fight against the Pinkertons, he now had cougar bites and claws marks that would be fatal. So unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to save him as I hoped. He was in a wagon and being cared for by Susan, Pearson, Abigail and Swanson. Hopefully, they were giving him comfort, if nothing else.

But fortunately, Jenny was still alive, and Lenny was very happy about that. As we kept heading further up the mountains, Dutch sent John, Arthur and Micah ahead to see if they could find a spot for us to rest and get warm. All the women, plus Jack, huddled together, trying to keep themselves warm. Jack was in the middle of all the women. He was probably the warmest out of all of us. Dutch and some of the guys decided to ride on the wagons for a while. I was offered a seat, but I refused. I didn't want Widow-Maker to feel alone in the cold. Plus, I had to make sure no wolves or other animals would try to attack the horses.

And then, it was like being in the game all over again. Because, Swanson got off the wagon and started walking towards Dutch. He said to him:

"Abigail says he's dying, Dutch. We'll have to stop some place."

Just like he said in the beginning of the game. Dutch sighed and said:

"Okay. Arthur's out looking. I sent him up ahead."

Swanson nodded and headed back into the wagon. I heard Hosea say to Dutch:

"If we don't stop soon, we'll all be dying. This weather. It's May…I'm just hoping the law got as lost as we did."

Dutch pointed and shouted:

"There!"

He was pointing to the shadowy figure in front of us. It was Arthur on his horse.

"Arthur! Any luck?"

"I found a place where we can get some shelter. Let Davey rest while he…you know. An old mining town, abandoned, it ain't far. Come on."

Arthur turned his horse around and led the way. Dutch shouted:

"Come on!"

This gave us all our second wind. There would now be a place where we would get some rest and away from the cold and the wind. The horses started to pick up the pace.

About 10 minutes later, we reached the old mining town. I recognized it as the town of Colter. This would be the first place where the gang would set up camp at the beginning of the game.

Once we reached the old town, we were able to put the horses inside the stables, which luckily had roofs over their heads and thick walls to protect them from the cold. The wagons were parked next to the cabins. We then started to unpack the essentials needed to make camp. Davey was put on a stretcher with Bill and Arthur carrying him. Hosea went into one of the empty cabins first, and after seeing that it was empty, gave us the all clear to come inside. He shouted:

"Bring him in here!"

We all entered the cabin with lanterns and embraced the warmth of that was coming from inside it. It may not have been as warm as I would have liked, but at least it was better than being out in the cold. Arthur and Bill brought Davey inside. Tilly was holding Jack beside her, trying to keep him warm. Once Davey was laid down, Susan said:

"Miss Gaskill get that fire lit, quick. Miss Jones bring in whatever blankets we have. Mr. Pearson, see what we've got in terms of food."

While this was going on, Abigail was looking at Davey. I immediately knew what she was going to say:

"Davey's dead."

Everyone looked sad and put their heads down. Tilly held Jack close to her, so he wouldn't have to look at the dead body. Reverend Swanson said:

"There was nothing more you could have done."

He then put two coins on Davey's eyes. Hosea then asked:

"What are we gonna do? We need supplies."

Dutch replied:

"Well, first of all, you're gonna stay here and you gonna get yourself warm. Now, I sent John and Micah scouting out ahead. Arthur and I, we're gonna ride out, see if we can find one of 'em."

Arthur responded:

"In this?"

"Just for a short bit. I don't see what other choice we have."

I knew what was about to happen next, so I decided to say something before he gave his speech.

"Do you mind if I tag along, Dutch? It'll be easier if you have at least another pair of eyes to help look for them."

"Sure. Thank you, Thomas. Listen. Listen to me, all of you. For a moment. Now, we've had a bad couple of days. I loved Davey and Mac. We lost some good folk. Now, if I could throw myself in the ground in their stead, I'd do it. Gladly. But, we're gonna ride out and we are gonna find some food. Everybody, we're safe now. There ain't nobody following us through a storm like this one. And by the time they get here, we're gonna be long gone. We've been through worse than this before. Mr. Pearson, Miss Grimshaw, I need you to turn this place into a camp. We may be here for a few days. Now all of you, get yourselves warm. Stay strong. Stay with me. We ain't done yet! Come on, Arthur! Come on, Thomas!"

I followed Arthur and Dutch out the front door. I overheard Miss Grimshaw saying:

"All right, we've got some work to do."

Dutch said to the both of us:

"Well, we ain't run into them yet. So, they both must have headed down the hill."

Arthur responded:

"Sure. Hey, I ain't had time to ask. What really went down there and back on that boat? "

I responded:

"I'll tell you that when we get back, Arthur. You have my word."

"Thank you, Thomas."

Dutch said to us:

"Now isn't the time, boys. We need to get moving."

We heard Charles say:

"Hey! You need horses?"

He came towards us with our horses.

"Oh yeah! And Mr. Smith, get yourself indoors. You need to rest that hand."

"I'll live."

"Get indoors, son! We need you strong."

"Okay."

Charles went inside the cabin. The 3 of us mounted our horses. We headed in the direction that Dutch had sent John and Micah towards. It's a good thing that we all had brought lanterns with us, otherwise we might have lost Dutch in the blizzard. Because the Count, his horse, blended in with the snow really well. Arthur was riding a beautiful Kentucky Saddler he named Boudicca. And I, of course, was riding Widow-Maker. Dutch shouted to us:

"Come on. Let's go."

"Ain't sure what we're gonna find out here, Dutch."

"We have to try. Stay close, we'll do our best to stick to the trail."

"This goddamn weather."

"Been two days or more like this now. It has to blow over soon."

I then said:

"Let's hope so. For our sake's and for the animals."

We continued our way through the trail. Said to us both:

"Ride next to me, boys. I don't want to lose you both."

Arthur responded:

"I can't believe we lost Davey too."

"He's the last one, Arthur. No more. We need to get those people warm and fed."

I thought to myself:

I'm going to make sure that no one else except Micah dies. I must.

Arthur said:

"At least we don't have to worry about Pinkertons tailing us in this."

"A couple of more days, we'll be on the other side. You two need to help me put the others back up. You're the only ones I can rely on to stay strong right now."

"You can count on us, Dutch."

"We've got fire and shelter. That's a start."

"So, do you think it was a trap? In Blackwater?"

"With that many men waiting for us? They knew we were coming. But it could've been a lot worse if we had stuck to the original plan."

"That's true. Thomas, you really came through with us. Both with your plan on robbing the ship and getting us out of there. Well done, son."

"Thank you, Dutch."

"I see something or someone up ahead. You up ahead. Who's there?"

I could barely see through the thick sheet of snow, but I did see someone coming through. Of course, I knew it was Micah. He was riding on his horse, a Missouri Fox Trotter, named Baylock. The poor thing. It deserved a better rider.

"Micah."

"Gentlemen."

"Found anything?"

"Found a little homestead down that away."

"Okay. Anyone home?"

"Sure. Place is blazing with light and noise. Sounded like a party. "

"Let's go see."

"Follow me. How's Davey doing?"

"He didn't make it."

"That's too bad. Davey was a real fighter. Both of them Callander boys is or was."

We followed him. In the back of my mind, I tried to keep a cool head and not let my hatred towards him show. Especially since I knew what was about to happen in this mission. And I so desperately believed that he was responsible for leading the Pinkertons to us. The only question is, how can I prove it? I didn't see him do it. I needed something to pin him. At least for this.

"I'm glad you're all right, Micah!"

"Always!"

Arthur shouted:

"Ask him if he's seen John!"

"Hey! Have you seen John, Micah?"

"Didn't see much of anything once this storm came in."

"He hasn't seen him."

"He'll be fine. Things always seem to turn out right for that boy. "

 _Not always. But I'm going to make sure that things get better for everyone._

"Hey Thomas! Let me take the rear, you move up!"

"You got it! I'll tell you more about the steamboat after this, Arthur. "

I left Arthur in the rear with Dutch. I caught up with Micah. So close and yet so far. I then asked him:

"You run into anybody else? "

"I reckon, we're the only ones crazy enough to be out in this, Thomas."

"Yeah well, don't talk to me about crazy."

"Oh, so no 'Glad you're all right, I was worried about you, Micah?'"

"After what happened at Blackwater, you should count yourself lucky you're even breathing, let alone me even talking to you."

"Look! I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

"So, you say. Let me ask you something, if the gang was ever in danger, and you could save it by giving up your life, would you do it without question?"

"Of course, I would, Thomas. This gang is my life."

"I want to believe you, Micah. But you're going to have to prove it to me. "

"And I will, Thomas. All in good time."

 _Yeah right. The day that happens is the day I dance on the moon._

Soon enough, we were standing on a ridge looking at the house. It's just like how I remembered it. It looked so peaceful and calm, but inside it, was a Powder-keg ready to explode. And her name, was Sadie Adler. Dutch said to the 3 of us:

"Okay. Let's get down there. "

We went around the ridge and down a safe passage. Once we were at the bottom, we found a few hitching posts. We tied our horses to the posts. Dutch said to us:

"Let me do the talking. We don't wanna scare these folks."

We headed towards the cabin, with Dutch leading the way. The snow was very deep and very thick. It was up to my knees. We saw there were a lot of lights on and we heard music playing. As if somebody was playing a violin. Micah then said:

"Sounds like quite the party."

"You three, get yourselves out of sight. One lonely man is a lot less intimidating then four nasty looking degenerates."

We hid in three different places. Micah hid behind a cart. Arthur hid inside an old shed. I hid behind the boxes next to the cabin. Dutch approached the front door alone. He shouted:

"Hello!"

We heard voices coming from inside the cabin. One person shouted:

"Shut up, Billy! Shh, shh, shh!"

And then, the music stopped.

"Excuse me? Hello?"

A man opened the door and stepped out.

"Oh. Hello friend."

"What you want?"

"I am very sorry to disturb you. But me and my friends, seem to have gotten lost, in this storm. Ah, gentlemen!"

More men came out of the cabin. One man said:

"We can't help you, mister."

I overheard Arthur and Micah. I knew what they found. Inside the wagon was a dead body. One that belonged to Mr. Adler. While Dutch continued talking to the man, I overheard Arthur tell Micah to keep his eyes on Dutch. The three of us pulled out our revolvers. I heard one of the men say:

"I think you should go, buddy."

"Now, friend…. I ain't asking for much. Please. I am…. kinda desperate."

"Hey…. I don't believe it. Come here, partner. Come here! "

Dutch approached them.

"It's goddamn Dutch Van Der Linde, you morons! Colm is going to shit his pants."

As soon as we heard that, we knew that jig was up. The three of us open fired at the men. As soon as the bodies hit the ground, it started a firefight. Dutch shouted:

"Watch out! One up top in the window! "

I shot him before he could get a clear shot. One poor bastard came out of the outhouse. And now that's where he'd die. Another man tried to make a run for it, but I shot him down.

"That's my boy, Thomas! Good shooting."

"Thanks."

"Goddamn O'Driscoll's boys here? Why?"

Micah replied:

"I don't know. Maybe same reason as us. "

"Micah, go bring the horses closer to the house. Arthur, Thomas, let's go search the cabin. "

The three of us entered the cabin. Arthur said:

"Smells like a party in here."

It did smell like these guys were celebrating quite heavily. The place smelled like booze. But I can also smell fresh cooked dinner and I also saw fresh clean dishes. Dutch said to Arthur and me:

"Turn the place inside out. Grab as many supplies as you can. We need to be essentials. Food, medicine…. whiskey."

"I'm starving."

"You should eat something now. Get your strength up for the ride back."

I found a can of baked beans. It's not as good as it would be if it was correct, but it was better than nothing. I also saw some salted pork that O'Driscoll's were eating. And it was properly cooked. Now that was worth eating.

"O'Driscoll's? I don't believe it."

"It's a strange one, all right. Maybe they're hiding up here too. There's a big price on Colm O'Discoll's head. Nearly as big as yours. "

There was a pool of blood on the floor. It probably belongs to Mr. Adler. As we continued to search the cabin for supplies, Arthur had the idea of moving the women and Jack into the cabin, as it was warm and dry. Dutch said that he would think about it. He didn't like the idea of splitting up the group. Dutch took the supplies we found and took them outside to put them in the saddlebags. He told us to keep looking and when we were done, to check out the barn.

I knew what we were going to find here, I just didn't know where. I suggested to Arthur that he should check out the barn while I continued to search the cabin. He nodded and left. With Arthur gone, I took the opportunity to look around and I hoped to find Sadie before Micah did. While inside, I found the picture of Sadie and her late husband. I decided to take it with me. I would give it to her when I found her.

Arthur would later tell me that when he entered the barn, he was ambushed by a young member of the O'Driscoll gang. Fortunately, Arthur was able to beat him easily. It was here that we learned where Colm O'Driscoll and the rest of his gang was. He also learned that they intended to rob a train. After getting the information out of the guy, Arthur decided to spare his life. The young man ran after that. Arthur found a new horse in the barn. Which was a good time, we were going to need it.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find Sadie before Micah did. While I looked on one side for the cellar, Micah looked on the other side and found it. I heard Sadie shout:

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Micah was reaching for like he wanted to molest/rape her. I heard Dutch shouting:

"MICAH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Both he and Arthur busted through the door. The only thing separating the two of them, was the dining room table and myself. As I was trying to hold him back. He shouted:

"Look what I found in the cellar! Wild thing, ain't ya?"

He elbowed me in the face and I lost my grip. He continued to go after her.

"Leave her alone!"

"I wasn't doing nothing! She's one of them, O'Driscolls!"

Sadie was throwing things at Micah, trying to keep him away from her. Dutch was trying his best to calm her down.

"No, she ain't, Micah! Look at her! Miss. Miss, are you hurt?"

Sadie had pulled a knife from the table and was using it to keep Micah away from her. I then knew what was about to happen. I saw the lantern on the table. I had to act fast. I reached for the lantern, but unfortunately, it landed on the ground before I could touch it.

"You fool! Damnit, Micah!"

Dutch had pushed him back and I gave him a right hook for good measure.

"You're really not impressing me, Micah."

He just gave me an angry look and stepped outside. Dutch was approaching Sadie and said to her:

"Miss, now it's gonna be okay. We mean you no harm."

Although Sadie still had the knife in her hand, she started to lower her defenses. He gave Dutch the opportunity to put his hand on her 's. And the opportunity to take the knife out of her hand. She let it go and Dutch said to her:

"Come on. It'll be okay. We need to get out of here, and quick. Come on now."

The fire was spreading quickly. But we had enough time to grab a coat for her. So at least she wouldn't freeze outside. Micah was waiting for us with the horses.

"You okay, Miss?"

"They came three days ago, and my husband. They…"

"Okay, Miss. You're safe now. But we can't stay here. You come with us."

The entire cabin was engulfed in flames. We had just gotten out of there before it would've been impossible to escape. Dutch gave Sadie to Arthur, where he led her to the horse he had found in the barn. I heard Arthur say to her:

"Miss, it's okay alright? We're bad men, but we ain't them. We'll keep you safe until you figure out what you wanna do. Is this your horse?"

"My husband's, but yes. I've ridden on him before."

"Then it seems only fair, that you should keep him."

"Thank you."

Arthur helped her get on the horse. She then rid beside Dutch. He then asked her for her name. She responded:

"Adler. Sadie Adler. Mrs."

I rode right next to her and said:

"Well, mrs. Adler, I found this. I think you should have it."

I handed her the picture of her and her husband on the wedding day. I could see more tears coming down her cheek. But she looked at me and said:

"Thank you so much."

She put the picture in her coat. We continued our way back to camp. I heard Lenny shouting:

"Hey, somebody's coming!"

I heard his gun reload as he took aim. But as soon as he saw that it was us coming, he put his weapon down and shouted:

"Hey everybody, Dutch is back!"

The rest of the gang was waiting outside and being kept warm by a fresh fire. And anyone who was inside, came outside from the cabins. Hosea asked:

"How'd you get on?"

Dutch told him:

"Micah found a homestead, but we weren't the first. Colm O'Driscoll and his scum, they beat us to it. We found some of them there but there is more about apparently scouting a train."

As Dutch was getting off the Count, Lenny grabbed the reins, so he wouldn't worry about it running.

"Thank you."

Hosea said:

"That's the last thing we need right now, Dutch."

"Well, it is what it is. But we found some supplies, some blankets, a little bit of food and this poor soul, Mrs. Adler. Miss Tilly? Miss Karen? Would you warm her up and give her something to drink? And Mrs. Adler, it's gonna be okay. You're safe now."

Tilly and Karen took Sadie into a nearby cabin. The poor thing. She looked so frightened.

"They turned her into a widow. Animals. I need some rest. I haven't slept in three days."

Molly was standing right beside her man. She looked very concerned for Sadie. I was hoping that she was thinking about what to do that could help her. Susan told Dutch:

"You're over here. Miss O'Shea will show you the way."

She pointed at one of the cabins. Dutch was holding Molly's hand. I bet that felt good. She then said to Arthur and me:

"Mr. Morgan, Mr. White, we put you in two different rooms over here."

"Thank you, Miss Grimshaw."

"Mr. Bell, you're with the fellas over there."

As everyone was headed to where they would be spending the next few and nights at, Micah said:

"How come Arthur and Thomas get their own rooms and I get bunk bed next to Bill Williamson and a bunch of darkies?"

I shouted:

"SHUT UP, MICAH! AT LEAST YOU HAVE A GODDAMN ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD AND YOU'RE OUT OF THE COLD!"

That shut him up. As we walked in the cabin, I realized something. I didn't see Mary-Beth with the others. I soon found my reason why. As I entered the room, I found her, sleeping on the bed. I smiled and very carefully, I grabbed an extra blanket and laid beside her. I could still feel that she was cold, so I held her close to me. She started to warm up. She woke up and smiled.

"Does Miss Grimshaw know you're here?"

"Yes, she does. She said that I was one of the few people that gets to share a bed or tent with someone aside from Dutch and Molly."

"I'm glad. Now get some sleep. I'm right here for you, sugar cube."

Mary-Beth smiled and went back to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

May 6th, 1899

Grizzlies West, Ambarino

It's been two days since we arrived in this abandoned mining town. And the conditions are better than they were before. Everyone has a roof over their heads and are sleeping in a bed. Quite honestly, I've missed the feeling of being in a warm bed. But now it's better since I can now share it with Mary-Beth. The blizzard is still strong. So, no one has gone out except to tend to the horses, get more food or keep watch out for Pinkertons.

But in those two days, there's been another problem. John hasn't been seen since Dutch sent him ahead to look for a place for us to stay. Abigail has been worried and so has Jack. The poor kid. Abigail was talking about how strong and smart (strong at least) John is when Arthur walked into the cabin, we were in. Inside the cabin was me, Hosea, Jack, Javier and all the women. The women were sitting next to the fireplace and trying to keep warm. Abigail said to Arthur:

"Hello, Arthur."

"Abigail."

"Arthur, how are you doing?"

"Just fine, Abigail. And you?"

"I need you to…I'm sorry. I'm sorry to ask but- "

"It's little John. He's got himself caught into a scrape again."

"He ain't been seen in two….in two days."

"Your John will be fine. I mean, he may be as dumb as rocks and as dull as rusted iron, but that ain't changing because he got caught in some snowstorm."

Hosea intervened and said:

"At least go take a look. Javier?"

"Yes?"

"Javier, will you ride out with Arthur to take a look for John? You're the two best fit men we've got."

I intervened this time:

"Make that three. I'll go too."

"Thank you, Thomas."

Javier asked:

"Now?"

"She's…we're all…. We're pretty worried about him."

"I know if the situation were reversed, he'd look for me."

Arthur nodded. Abigail thanked us for heading out to look for John. The three of us headed for the stables. The weather was bad on the horses but at least they had shelter and we were still feeding them. Arthur and I got on our horses while Javier got on his, Boaz, a beautiful American Paint horse. I almost thought about having him change the name to Hidalgo, but I decided not to. As soon as we left, Javier showed us the way that John was heading. He said to us:

"This way. Last I know, John was headed up the river."

Arthur replied:

"For all we know, he kept riding north and never looked back. "

"He wouldn't leave. Not like that."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time."

I replied:

"Oh, for fuck's sake Arthur! You really need to let that go. John made a mistake. He's here now. And isn't that what's important? "

He didn't say anything after that. We continued our way towards the river. Besides, nobody felt like talking with all the snow coming down. Sometime later, Javier spotted smoke and said:

"Hey, I see some smoke. Come on, let's take a look."

"Let's hope it ain't more of O'Driscoll's boys."

We headed in the direction of the smoke. In the back of my mind, I almost regretted coming on this trip. Not because I didn't want to, but because I felt like me being on this trip to rescue John would it make a difference. But something in my gut was telling me to go along this trip. And I never ignore my instincts. We found the source of the smoke. It was from an abandoned camp. Javier got off Boaz and said:

"Well, it seems that somebody left. Recently."

He knelt and examined the ground. The embers were still hot, and the fire was still there, but just barely. He then found tracks and pointed in the direction they were going. But he couldn't tell if it was John's or someone else. Arthur said:

"Well, come on then."

Javier got back on Boaz and led us in the direction of the tracks. We followed him. He said the tracks were headed towards the river.

"Let's cross. See, they continue up that way."

"Do you think it's John's?"

"You tell me. These are horse tracks for sure, but they could be anyone. Let's just see where they lead. "

We continued following the horse tracks that were leading up to the mountain. Fortunately, because I already told Arthur about what happened on the ship, he didn't have to ask Javier what happened. And because we went through my plan instead of what originally happened, Dutch never shot Heidi McCourt. As we got closer up the mountain, we had the horses slow down so that we wouldn't fall off the ravine. Arthur said:

"Damn snow is coming hard again."

"We'll lose those tracks if we don't move fast."

Arthur wasn't kidding about how hard the snow was coming down. At times it felt like the snow was stinging my eyes like a thousand bees. Fortunately, the closer we got up higher on to the mountain, the less snow was coming down. Which made it easy for us to be able to see better. But the closer we got to the top, the less space there was. Eventually, we had to go in single file.

"Watch yourselves, not very wide here."

I'm not going to lie. It's not the idea of heights that scares me. It's the idea of falling and not landing on something soft that terrifies me. Or at least landing on something that will break my fall and not to break me *chuckles*. But we were pretty high up. And if you fell, you would have a very long time to wave goodbye to everyone. Arthur said:

"Horses are getting tired."

"Yeah. A lot of fresh snow here."

"I don't know about this, Javier. We can't follow nothing."

"Let's push on a little bit, maybe we'll pick up the trail again."

A few seconds later, I spotted something. I shouted:

"Hey. Look over there!"

We headed in the direction I was pointing. Turns out what I saw was what was left of John's horse. The poor thing must have died from either the cold or from any wounds he had when we escaped from Blackwater. Javier said:

"Let's see if he can hear us."

He pulled out his revolver and shot two bullets into the air. Sure enough, we heard someone shout:

"Hey! Help! Here!"

That was John's voice all right. We headed in the direction his voice was coming from. Javier said:

"It's coming from up ahead somewhere. I don't think we can go much further with the horses. We'll have to walk from here."

We all got off our horses and I grabbed a sawed-off shotgun from my saddlebag. I knew that we were going to need but I didn't want to use it. The path we took to find John led us down steep slides that if you weren't careful, it would be a long drop.

"Mierda (shit), we're high up here."

"You're telling me."

"In normal circumstances, most people would say don't look down. But they end up doing that anyway. So, in this case, I am not going to say anything."

We continued to follow the sound of John's voice shouting for help. But the path we took was a little too close to comfort for me. We jumped down a drop that didn't look stable. Another steep slide, and even down a narrow passageway where we had to crouch down to get through. And to make matters worse, the weather was colder than I was. Even with gloves and warm clothes on, my fingers felt numb. And we had to climb up a couple of ledges. It was definitely one of the most terrifying climbs I ever had to make in my life. But the good news, was that we were getting closer. John's voice was getting louder. Javier shouted:

"We're coming, John!"

Arthur and Javier were probably feeling the cold worse than I was. Arthur probably didn't grow up in the Northeast where they had some bad winters. And Javier, was born and raised in Mexico. So, he's never known cold as long as we have.

"Damn, it's cold."

"Well it's true what the Starks are always saying."

"And what is that, Thomas?"

"Winter is Coming."

"Well, whoever these "Stark" fellas are, they're absolutely right. Winter comes by every year."

I chuckled to myself. Only because I was the only one that would get the actual understanding of that phrase. Little did I know, that I was going to get more of a Game of Thrones feeling than just that phrase.

After we entered a narrow passageway, Javier and Arthur took a swig of Kentucky bourbon. They both felt better after that. We then continued our way out of the passageway, and we all started shouting John's name. And soon enough, we found him. He was on a ledge. He had scratches on his face. Arthur said:

"That's quite a scratch you've got there."

"Never thought I'd say this, but it's good to see you, Arthur Morgan."

Arthur jumped down to the ledge and said to him:

"You don't look so good."

"I don't feel too good neither."

Arthur lifted him up and slung him over his shoulder.

"I'm freezing."

"Don't die just yet, cowboy."

Arthur faced in the direction me and Javier were at. He gave us John. Javier and I got John to his feet and said:

"Come on, compadre."

"We got you, John."

We both gave John back to Arthur so that he could carry him back to the horses. Javier said:

"Well, we can't go back the way we came. Let's try it this way. "

We followed Javier. Arthur then said to John:

"Ain't you a sorry sight? "

"Can't…argue with you there."

I replied:

"I don't know about that, Arthur. I think it's a good look for him."

"I'm glad someone isn't giving me a hard time."

I smiled. Arthur replied:

"See? I told Dutch you weren't the right man for this."

"I'm sure you did."

Javier asked John if he was all right. He said:

"I think so."

"Come on. Hopefully, this will lead us the way out."

In the back of my mind, I knew what was about to happen next. And sure, enough I was right. We saw a pack of wolves just ahead of us. And they looked very hungry.

"You see that on the ridge?"

The wolves started howling. Arthur responded:

"Perfect."

This is where I decided to intervene. I said to the guys:

"I'll take care of these guys. You get John back to camp."

"You're going to take on a pack of wolves by yourself?"

"John needs to be taken care of quickly. And I have my shotgun. And besides, it'll be easier if they focus on one target instead of multiple. I've got this. Now go! I'll catch up with you! "

"All right. Be careful, Thomas."

Arthur and Javier headed for Boudicca and Boaz. Arthur helped John get on Boaz and after they were on their horses, they headed in the direction of the camp.

Meanwhile, I had my hands full fighting a pack of wolves. Not exactly my smartest idea, but the only one I could think of. I had a sawed-off shotgun in one hand and my Bowie knife in another. If they got too close for me to shoot, I stabbed them. If I could get a clear shot, I shot them. In total, I killed seven wolves.

Truth be told, I felt bad about it. Wolves are and always will be my favorite animal. I always felt a connection to them. So, whenever I killed one, I felt like I was killing a piece of my soul. But if there was any good that came out of me going on this search, was that now I could bring something else back to camp. Because originally, you couldn't skin the wolves or take them with you back to camp this early in the game. So, I skinned all of them except one.

After I skinned the last one, I discovered something that I wasn't expecting. I found nipples on a wolf. Which meant that she must have had puppies recently. And I just made them orphans. No. I wasn't going to let that happen. I went up onto the ridge where the wolves were standing before. I found their tracks and followed them in the direction that they came from.

Sure enough, I had found a den. And in it, were seven wolf puppies. They were about two weeks old. I looked at them and I wasn't going to let them die. I grabbed each of them and put them inside a large sack that I had in my saddlebag. I didn't like the idea of putting them in a sack, but I had to keep them someplace warm from the snow until we got back to camp. After all the pups were in the sack, I got on Widow-Maker and held onto the reins with one hand and the sack in the other.

After a long day, I made my way back to camp. Arthur and Javier were the first to greet me. They were very surprised and pleased that I survived my encounter with the wolves. Not to mention that I came back with meat and pelts. But when they asked about what was in the sack, I replied:

"It's a surprise."

They looked at me and nodded. I asked Arthur if he could bring the one wolf that wasn't skinned and give it to Pearson. Arthur said that he would. I walked into the cabin where was gathering for supper. When they all saw the large sack in my hand, everyone asked what was in it. Once everyone was inside, I showed them all what I found. Everyone was astonished by my discovery. Jack and the ladies especially. All the men were trying to hide their affection for the pups, but I could tell that they found them adorable. In total, there were three females and four males.

There was just one person that I was concerned with. Speak the Devil's name and he shall appear. Micah said:

"So, what are we going to do with them? Turn them into pairs of boots or fur coats?"

I got up, looked Micah in the eye, and punched him. I then said to him:

"No. We are going to take care of them. And not even one of them is going to be given to you. Not one. If I find a single puppy missing, I'll know it's your fault and it will be the last mistake you ever make. And if I find you so much as laying a finger on any of them, it will be the last time you ever have fingers. And that is a promise."

Micah looked like he wanted to say something, but I just gave him the most evil look I've ever given anyone, and he stopped dead in his tracks. I then decided that while everyone, except for Micah, would have the shared responsibility of taking care of them, some of the puppies will belong to specific people.

Dutch and Molly would have the oldest one since they are the head of our pack.

Mary-Beth and I would have one to ourselves.

John, Abigail and Jack would own the runt of the litter since Jack is the youngest in our pack.

The others would belong to anyone who took care of them and paid the most attention to them. And we all agreed that Micah was not allowed anywhere near them, since he made it clear to hurt and/or kill them. While we were eating supper, we all gave a piece of meat to the pups. Now I was starting to feel like I was in Game of Thrones with Red Dead Redemption 2. When everyone went to bed, the other pups would sleep with Karen, Tilly, Susan and Sadie. That night, Mary-Beth and I brought our pup into our bed. Mary-Beth asked me:

"What do you want to call him?"

I looked at the pup very carefully and realized there was only one logical choice.

"Let's call him, White Fang."

"Why that?"

"Because one of my favorite books was about a wolfdog named White Fang."

"Oh. In that case, it's a perfect choice."

She smiled and we laid in bed with the newest member of our family.


	10. Chapter 10

May 8th, 1899

Grizzlies West, Ambarino

Two days had passed since the arrival of the wolf pups into the gang. And it was a wise choice for me to bring them with me. With how fierce the weather has been, the poor little things would have frozen to death. And with the pups, everyone seems happier. They keep their mind off the cold, and it makes them happy knowing that they have puppies in the camp. We all gave them names. Mary-Beth and I named ours White Fang. Dutch and Molly named theirs King. John and Abigail named theirs Ace. The other puppies were named Tempest, Xena, Princess and Buck.

Out of the seven puppies, Princess was the sweetest of them all. She especially loved being around Tilly, Jenny and Karen. I think they were so close to Princess is because they showered her with attention and care. Xena was very fond of Bill and Javier. For them, I think she sensed how much they needed someone in their lives that wouldn't be scared of them. Not to mention that she was quite feisty, and they adored that about her. Tempest really enjoyed being around Sean and Uncle. For Sean, she reminded him of a dog he had back home in Ireland. For Uncle, she gave him a purpose. He now felt more inclined to do work to make sure that she was comfortable and safe.

King was very close to Dutch and Molly, but he was also very fond of me. And I think it's because he knew how much I missed my King from home. White Fang was absolutely loved and spoiled by me and Mary-Beth. Her in particular since I was usually out doing things to help with the gang. Jack just loved Ace from the moment he first held him. John and Abigail also loved him and saw this as an opportunity to teach Jack how to be responsible. Buck loved being around Charles and Lenny. Charles and Buck were like kindred spirits since both of them grew up in the wild. Lenny had seen how vicious dogs could be if they were mistreated or abused by bad owners. So, he took upon himself to make sure that Buck turned out to be a good wolf and will be well loved.

Mr. Pearson and Mrs. Grimshaw absolutely loved them. But if Micah came anywhere near them, they would immediately run from him. It's been often said that dogs and children are good judges of character. And since I already knew what kind of a man he is, it makes me happy knowing that even animals don't like him. It made me sad knowing that this son of a bitch had a horse that deserved a better owner. Maybe I can give his horse to someone better or set him free after I deal with Micah.

But if there's one problem with having the pups, it means there are now more mouths to feed. Fortunately, when I found the puppies, they were already starting to not have to depend on milk. Unfortunately, since they were still puppies, they needed to be fed more than the rest of the gang.

And it seems I wasn't the only one thinking about our food shortage. I could overhear Arthur and Mr. Pearson arguing.

"We're going to starve to death up here, Mr. Morgan."

"We're okay."

"We have a few cans of food and a rabbit for what? Ten, twelve people? Not to mention the wolf pups. When I was in the Navy- "

"I-I do not wish to hear about what you got up to in the Navy, Mr. Pearson."

"We were stranded at sea for 50 days."

"And you, unfortunately survived. "

I thought to myself:

 _Oh, for crying out loud! Give the man a break. And have some respect for someone who was in the Navy._

"When we ran away from Blackwater, I wasn't able to get supplies in."

"Well, when government agents are hunting you down, sometimes shopping trips need to be cut short. We'll survive. We always have. And if need be, we can always eat you, you're the fattest."

 _All right. That's going too far. I've met some big guys in my life, and Mr. Pearson is not that big._

"I sent Lenny and Bill hunting and they found nothing."

"Well, Lenny's more into book learning than hunting. Bill's a fool. Unless those mountains are full of game that want to read, it ain't no wonder they found nothing."

I have had enough of this. I decided to intervene. And it looks like I wasn't the only one. Because Charles and I both said:

"Enough of this."

I want to say "JINX" but they wouldn't understand what that meant. And I didn't want to confuse them or sound weird. So, I let Charles finish by saying:

"We'll go find something. Come on Arthur. Come on Thomas."

But before we left, Mr. Pearson stopped us and gave us cans of salted offal. Basically, another way of saying salted beef.

"Here. You're going to need something to eat out there. "

But once again, Arthur had something to complain about.

"Assorted, salted offals. Starving would be preferable. "

I couldn't keep my mouth shut about his complaining anymore. So I said to him:

"Do you know what else would be preferable, Arthur? You not having something to complain about. Or bitch and moan about. You're as bad as Uncle. Be grateful that Mr. Pearson is giving you something to eat so that you won't starve. Thank you, Mr. Pearson. "

"Well it's nice to know that someone here still has manners. Thank you, Thomas."

Charles said:

"Come on. Let's go."

"You can't go hunting. Look at your hand."

"I can't stay here listening to you two. Look, if there's a game in those hills, I'll find it and you two can kill it."

"You need to rest, Charles."

"You think this is rest? Come on."

Charles and I headed for the horses with Arthur right behind us. As we reached the horses, Charles pulled the bow off his shoulders and gave it to Arthur.

"Here. You take it. I can't use it, and he'll have to."

"Oh, you're joking."

"Use a gun, and we'll scare off every animal for miles. You're never too old to learn…. I imagine. Not to be rude, but why are you coming Thomas? You've done enough hard work already."

"Because three hunters are better than two. And besides, it will be nice to show Arthur some good tricks on archery. Never underestimate the power of a good bow in the right hands."

"How could I forget that? I still can't believe you used a stick of dynamite and an arrow to blow away those Pinkertons."

"Yeah. That was one of my finest moments. But let's focus at the task at hand. We have mouths to feed. Let's go boys."

We got on our horses. Charles had a beautiful Appaloosa named Taima. I think Charles has had her since he left his tribe and joined Dutch. As we headed for the mountains, Arthur asked Charles:

"How are you holding up, Charles?"

"I'm okay, apart from this hand. Stupid mistake."

"Still bad?"

"It'll be fine in a day or two. I just can't pull a bow right now."

"I sure hope I can. I never really got the hang of it."

"You'll be fine. Plus, we have Thomas here to help."

"That's right Arthur. You'll be fine."

"Thank you, fellas. So, do you two reckon we're gonna to find something to kill that ain't an O'Driscoll?"

"Oh, for sure Arthur. Meat is all around. You just to know where to find it."

"Thomas is right. Let's head up this way. Find some higher ground."

Arthur said:

"Been a wild few days alright. That ride north from Blackwater. Getting stuck up in this storm, going out for John, that thing with the O'Driscolls."

"We've had our hands full lately. I just don't understand how it all went downhill so fast."

I replied:

"I have a pretty good I what went wrong. Micah. Everywhere that son of a bitch goes, trouble is bound to follow him. Charles, you were with us on the boat robbery. Did Micah seem strange to you at all? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"None that I can think of. Do you really think he meant for that to happen?"

"I want to say yes but since no one so far saw anything, there's nothing I can do to pin it on him. But if you remember anything Charles, just let me know."

"You got it, Thomas."

We continued our way towards the mountains. After riding for what felt like a half an hour, Charles spotted a disturbance in the snow. Like an animal had moved the snow to eat the grass. And next to it was a pile of dung. We got off our horses and headed for the spot. Charles headed for the spot where the grass was, and I looked at the dung. Charles said:

"Deer have been here…recently."

Arthur asked him how he could tell.

"The grass hasn't frozen over. Which means this was moved recently."

"And the dung is fresh. It's still hot. I can see steam coming out. Which means the deer isn't far away from here."

"Exactly. Arthur, make sure you have the bow I gave you. Guns will scare any game away for miles."

"I got it Charles."

Once he grabbed the bow from his saddle, he joined me and Charles. Arthur was instructed to stay low and follow the tracks. Charles and I watched him. After about two minutes, Arthur spotted a buck drinking from the river. He was told to make his shot count and to aim for the neck or the head. It needs to be quick and painless. Arthur took aim and fired. His arrow hit the back of the neck. Just where the back of the head would be. I said to him:

"Nice job, Arthur. Do you want to go for one more?"

"Sure, Thomas."

So, after that, we headed further down the river and saw a buck and a doe near the river. As Arthur got ready to fire another one, I whispered to him:

"You're only going to hit one of them. Because the instant one goes down, the other is going to run. Aim for the buck. I'll take care of the doe."

He nodded. He took aim and fired. His arrow hit the buck right in between the eyes. As soon as the buck went down, the doe was making a run for it. I readied my bow and shot an arrow in the direction it was running. My arrow hit it in the eye. Arthur said to me:

"That's some mighty fine shooting there, Thomas. How'd you know it was going to go that way?"

"My instincts. They're almost never wrong. But you did really good yourself, Arthur."

"Thomas is right, Arthur. You did really well for your first time."

"Thank you, Charles."

"I think that's all we can carry. We'll each grab one and put them on our horses."

"You sure your hands okay for that, Charles?"

"It'll be fine once I get it on my shoulders."

So, we each grabbed a deer and brought them to our horses. We then tied them to our horses so they wouldn't fall off. Once we were all set and ready to go, we headed back for camp. While we were riding back, Charles started a conversation by saying:

"Nice work, Arthur. Should be enough meat to keep us all fed for a few days. And you two, Thomas."

"Thanks, Charles. It's a lot better when they're not shooting back."

"We've seen enough of that."

"Considering how things were looking a couple of days back, I think our luck is finally on the turn."

"Seems to me that we should be putting our effort into getting off this mountain now."

I replied:

"And we will, fellas. All in good time. But we've got people that are still weak, and you've seen how snowed in those wagons are. They ain't going nowhere until things are more thawed out."

"You're right, Thomas. And even if we do get off here, what then? We still have a big price on our heads."

Arthur responded:

"This is a big country. We'll find somewhere to lay low. Dutch and Hosea will have a plan. They always do."

 _If I had a dollar every time, I heard the word "plan" come out of Dutch's mouth._

"You noticed how Pearson's had a bottle in his hand ever since we fled Blackwater? We give the camp cook five minutes to grab the essentials and go, and he doesn't even bring a crumb of food."

"Actually, he had all the food packed, but we lost some of it when we fled from the Pinkertons. With how cold it's been, everyone has been eating more. And now we've got more mouths to feed."

"Yeah. A small part of me wishes you hadn't found those pups, Thomas. Because then we wouldn't be wasting so much food on them. But I'm still glad you did. I know the girls absolutely love them. And so does little Jack. And I'll admit, I'm growing really fond of them."

"I'm glad, Arthur. But you're right. We do have more mouths to feed. And then there's our newest member, Mrs. Sadie Adler."

"She has a wild look in her eyes."

"Of course she does. She just lost her husband and her home all in rapid succession. The only things she has left from her past life is a photograph of her and her husband and her husband's horse. And all because of men that work for Colm O'Driscoll. Hey Arthur, you've been in this gang longer than most of us. What can you tell us about them?"

Arthur then explained to both Charles and I about the history of the bad blood between the Van Der Linde Gang and the O'Driscoll Gang. All about how Dutch and Colm used to be partners but things took a turn for the worst when Dutch murdered Colm's brother. In retaliation, Colm murdered Dutch's lover, Anabelle. And ever since, there's been a bloody rivalry between the two gangs.

While we were riding, we saw a black bear in the distance. Arthur suggested we go after it, but Charles said that we have more than enough meat already. And besides, we weren't well armed to take on a bear. So we decided to go around and avoid the bear. Fortunately, we were able to avoid the bear. I don't think it even noticed us. But the poor horses were nervous as hell. Who could blame them?

As we were riding, we started talking about how long each of us have been with the gang. Arthur, being one of the earliest gang members, has been with the gang for 20 years. Charles joined the group about six months ago. And I, of course, have been with the gang for almost a month now. And then Charles asked me:

"Thomas? If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to stay with us? I mean, Arthur has been with the gang since the beginning. And I joined because I got sick of being on my own. At least with the game, I feel like I have a sense of purpose and I'm not alone. But what's your reason? "

Arthur responded:

"I bet I know why. Her name begins with a M and ends with an H. Am I right, Thomas? "

I chuckled and replied:

"I'm not going to deny that, Arthur. Mary-Beth is one of the reasons I decided to stay with you guys. But it's more than that."

"Oh? And why is that? And I bet you weren't expecting any of this. The mess over at Blackwater. Being up here in the cold. Having to be on the run all the time. "

"Well one of the reason is because Mary-Beth saved my life. I had to do something to repay her for her kindness and her courage. And I have my other reasons, I'm very fond of all of you. Well most of you if, you know who I mean."

"Yeah. You seem to really have it in for Micah. Any reason for that? I mean, he is a world-class asshole, but every time you look at him It's as if you just want to shoot him right there and then. "

"Let's just say, I'm really good at reading people. And I just have a very bad feeling about him."

"What about the rest of us? We're not exactly saints."

"No one is ever a saint, Arthur. But I really like all of you. And yes even though you and I butt heads from time to time, I respect all of you and admire you."

"Well, thank you kindly Thomas. That really means a lot."

"No problem, Arthur. The other reasons I wanted to stay with you guys, is because my life was just so dull back in Manhattan. I had a job that paid well but it wasn't exciting. And yeah, I miss my family, but at times it felt like I was invisible to them. At least while I'm here, I feel like I'm doing something important. "

Charles replied:

"Well we all appreciate your hard work, Thomas. If it weren't for your great plan at Blackwater, things could've been a lot worse."

"He's right, Thomas. But if you're so good at reading people, what do you see in both of us?"

"I see two men Who have had some very difficult times in their lives. But you both were able to rise up to the occasion and became better men. And while you may not see it Arthur, you are a good man. And I see that more often than the bad. And Charles, you're a man who had a difficult childhood because of your birth and your parents, but you were able to pull yourself together and become a better person. That's very admirable and I respect that. "

They were both speechless and thanked me for my kind words. As we continued our way back home, we started talking about our horses. Arthur told us the one time he tried to ride on the Count, and he was bucked off quicker than being on the back of a bull. Then finally, we made it back to camp. Arthur shouted:

"We brought some food back, boys!"

We hitched the horses and then brought our fresh kills over to Mr. Pearson. And Arthur thanked both me and Charles for showing him how to properly use a bow. As we approached Mr. Pearson, he said:

"Well, well, well. Look at what you three brought back. Good work boys. Just drop it down in here."

We dropped our kills next to Mr. Pearson. And sitting next to the fire, was Uncle. Arthur said:

"What a surprise. To find the camp rat loitering in the kitchen. "

"Is that anyway to greet an old friend? I feel like we haven't spoken for days."

I responded:

"Nah Arthur. Uncle here, isn't the camp rat. He's the camp sloth."

"I think you're right on that, Thomas."

"Uncle, what are you doing here? Don't you have puppies to help take care of? "

"I was waiting to see if you were going to be here soon. They're getting hungry. Along with the rest of the gang."

"Well you won't have to wait much longer. Let's just help Mr. Pearson skin and gut these deer, and then you can help feed the pups."

"Tank you kindly, Thomas. I'll go tell the rest of the camp, that supper will be ready soon."

After Uncle left, Mr. Pearson tossed us a bottle and said:

"Have a drink boys. You've earned it."

Arthur took the first swig. I still found his response hilarious.

"JESUS! What is that? "

After taking a swig, he passed the bottle to Charles, who then passed it to me. Mr. Pearson replied:

"Navy rum sir. It's the only thing. The only thing. Keeps you sane it does."

"Yes, it seems to have done a treat on you. You go rest that hand, Charles."

"I'll be fine in a few days."

"You mind helping me with the skinning, Mr. Morgan? Mr. White? It's easier if we do it together".

Arthur responded:

"Do I get to skin you?"

I said to him:

"I have seen what a skinned human looks like, Arthur. And believe you me, it's not pleasant. At all. Just seeing one, will make you want to throw up your lunch. "

He looked at me to make sure if I was just kidding or being serious. When he saw how serious I was, he realized that it's not something to joke about. He then asked me:

"Where did you see a skinned human, Thomas?"

"Up in the far North. I'd rather not say where and who I saw do this, but let's just say, their blades are sharp."

Arthur just nodded. Mr. Pearson told us to skin the two deer that we brought in. And he would skin the buck. Of course, having been trained to do this by my dad back home, I had no trouble doing this. And neither did Arthur. Mr. Pearson said to both of us:

"Not too bad boys. Good work. If you find anything else, you bring it to me. "

"Sure thing. Just make a good stew out of all of this meat, and we'll be happier to help you next time. "

"Well thank you all for your help. I'll be sure to leave some of the meat for the pups. Hell, why don't you boys bring some of these chunks of meat for them?"

"We'll go do that right now Mr. Pearson. "

He gave us some chunks of meat and we each took a handful. We then went into the main cabin where everybody was. And as soon as we opened the door, all the pops ran in our direction. It's a good thing to know that their sense of smell is on point. When we put it on the ground, they went at it. There is even a large chunk that King, Buck and White Fang were fighting over.

About 10 minutes later, Mr. Pearson came in with a large pot of fresh stew. I love to eat a good stew, but it tastes so much better when it's cold outside. I felt like I couldn't eat for a few days after that meal. Everyone's bellies were full, and everybody was happy.

That night, as I laid beside Mary-Beth, I started thinking to myself about what would happen next. Because if this was in the game, then events happened differently. Because the next thing to come up, would be where we come across the O'Driscoll gang again. And it would be during this event, that we would come across someone who would end up becoming the newest member of the gang, Kieran Duffy.


	11. Chapter 11

May 9th, 1899

Grizzlies West, Ambarino

The next morning, I woke up from a good night's sleep and got dressed. As I headed out of the room, I heard White Fang whimpering as I was leaving. I turned around, smiled and walked towards him. The little guy has been sleeping with us ever since we got him. I petted him and said to him:

"It's all right, boy. I'm only going to be gone for a little while. And when I come back, we'll play. I promise. Just don't let anything happen to your new mamma while I'm gone. Understood?"

He barked.

"That's my boy."

I took him in my arms and then I placed him in Mary-Beth's arms while she was still sleeping. I moved some hair out of her face, kissed her on the cheek and said:

"I love you."

She smiled. I went into the dining room of the cabin, I cooked me some breakfast and had a cup of coffee. I grabbed my coat and everything I would need to be out in the snow. As I walked outside, I saw Javier standing outside one of the cabins and acting as a sentry. I said to him:

"Hey Javier. Buenos Dias."

"Good morning Thomas."

"How are you dealing with the cold? "

"I'm doing all right. As long as I've got this fire next to me, I'll be okay."

"Good. Who is in the cabin right now?"

"Lenny, Bill, and Micah."

"Perfect. So everywhere I go, the person I like the least just happens to be everywhere. "

"We're all sharing tight quarters now, Thomas. It's a given."

"I guess so."

Arthur was right behind me.

"You going in too, Arthur?"

"Yep."

"Let's go, cowboy."

When we opened the door, we stumbled into a conversation, or rather a rant, Micah was having with Bill and Lenny. They each had a beer in their hands. Arthur headed for the furnace to keep himself warm. I grabbed a bottle of beer.

"-up with you boys, because I thought you liked action. A couple of days on the land. And you lot have all turned yellow. Apart from you, of course."

He was referring to Lenny. Because Lenny is one of the few colored members of the gang. As if I needed another reason to hate Micah.

"Shut up, Micah."

Micah continued to run his mouth.

"I ain't never seen so many long faces."

Right after he said that, Javier entered the cabin. I guess he wanted to get out of the cold for a while. And it was probably someone else's turn to act as sentry. I gave him a bottle of beer.

"Mucho gracias, amigo."

Bill then said to Micah:

"I guess folks miss them…the ones we lost."

"Well, when I fall, I don't want no fuss."

Lenny said to him.

"When you fall, there'll be a party. "

Everyone in the room except for Micah burst into laughter. Bill replied:

"A party…probably."

Micah put down his bottle, stood up and said:

"That funny, huh?"

"Sure."

Micah pinched Bill. Naturally, he didn't take kindly to being hit. So he tried to hit him back, but was held back by Lenny, Javier, and Arthur.

"Maybe I don't like being laughed at by the likes of you two."

I decided to say something to him and that I've been meaning to say to him for a long time.

"Micah, no one could have a higher opinion of you than I have."

He smiled at me. But I knew he was going to be downright furious with what I was going to say next.

"And I think you're a slimy, contemptible sewer rat!"

And just like that, his smile faded. He was gritting his teeth. He then walked towards me and punched me. I responded with:

"Is that the best you can do? My stepfather hit harder than you."

He tried to hit me again, but this time I caught his fist and punched him back. The guys had to separate us from fighting each other. I heard the door open and then Dutch came in and shouted:

"Stop it! Now! You fools punching each other, when Colm O'Driscoll's needing punching? Hard? You wanna sit around waiting for him to come find us? All of you, we got work to do. Come on!"

We immediately stopped what we were doing and headed outside. Arthur asked Dutch:

"Are you sure about this, Dutch?"

"Yes."

"Folk have been through a lot recently. We hardly back on our feet yet. "

"And the last thing we need is to get bushwhacked by Colm O'Driscoll. Let's go."

All of us were headed for our horses. Arthur and Dutch were still talking.

"I know you hate him, Dutch."

"He's here for us."

"I doubt that."

"No. You're just doubting me."

"I would never doubt you, Dutch. You always said that revenge is a luxury we can't afford."

"This is the right call, Arthur. Take this."

He had given Arthur a carbine repeater. Dutch continued to say to Arthur:

"And this is about more than revenge for business long ago. They were talking about trains and detonators. Here."

He handed Arthur a lasso. He continued:

"Colm always had good information. Come on."

"And you think now is the right time to hit a train?"

"Now you might fancy living on deer piss and rabbit shit, but I'm getting too old for that life."

And at last, all of were on our horses and ready to head out. Dutch shouted:

"Mr. Matthews, Mr. Smith, Mr. Pearson, would you please look after the place? There are O'Driscoll's about. Hyah!"

Dutch led the way with Arthur by his side. In our merry group of men aside from Dutch and Arthur was me, Lenny, Javier, Bill and Micah. So a total of seven men. Javier and Bill rode beside each other. I rode next to Lenny and Micah was right behind us all. Just where he belongs. Other than being at the bottom of my boot. I could hear Dutch say:

"Southwest, right Arthur? "

"Yeah. He said follow the main trail southwest. They're camped near some lake."

"Okay. Let's go find the bastard before they find us and rob this score they're planning."

As we continued on our way towards the lake that the O'Driscoll's were at, it made me realize that there could be something else I could do to change things here. Nothing major, but I knew that with this mission we would meet Kieran Duffy. And I remember, he didn't receive the best hospitality from the gang after he was captured by Arthur. So maybe he would feel more comfortable if he was captured by someone else instead. Namely myself. After a little while of riding, we came across a set of tracks. Dutch said:

"Tracks. Horses, quite a few of them. As far as I can tell, the only fools out here are us and them. They must be this way."

We followed the trail. I then rode up to Dutch and asked him:

"Are you all right, Dutch?"

"Of course. Listen. I know quite a few of you don't think much of my ideas recently, but this is the right move. "

"All right. You know that we've all got your back, Dutch."

"Thank you, Thomas. I've learned along time ago that you hit Colm O'Driscoll, wait for him and people you love will die."

"This feud between you and him, needs to be put to rest. One way or another."

I heard Bill say from behind us:

"It will be."

Dutch said to us:

"Somethings I can forgive, others I can forget. What he did to Annabelle, I can't do neither."

Arthur replied:

"You killed his brother, Dutch."

"Yes. I did. And I hope the bastards will be reunited soon enough. That's how this will end."

I decided to bring this up:

"Speaking of women, how are things between you and Molly, Dutch?"

"Things are actually going pretty well now. Having King around has helped her to take her mind off of everything that's happened. And after her ride with you back at Blackwater, she and I have been getting along really well. "

"I'm very glad to hear that, Dutch. Do you think Annabelle would be happy knowing that you found love again?"

"What do you mean, Thomas?"

"Oh nothing. It's just that, you speak about Annabelle like she was the first love and only love of your life."

"In many ways, she was."

"I thought so. And I'm not asking you to forget about her, Dutch. Quite the contrary. But I'm also asking you to not let yourself live in the past so much. If Annabelle is watching right now, she would want you to be happy. And it's plain to see, that Molly makes you very happy. No one can ever forget their first love. I know I will never forget mine. But I also want to be able to move on and be with somebody that makes me happy. So cherish what you had with Annabelle, but don't let that destroy your relationship with Molly."

"You know something, Thomas? You're right. She would want me to move on with my life. But I still want to kill Colm O'Driscoll. But now, it's not just about revenge for what he did to her. Now it's to make sure that he can't harm anyone else I love ever again. And that includes all of you."

"Thank you, Dutch. Just remember, we are all here for you. If we are a family, you are our father. And we will always be there for you. "

Arthur added:

"Thomas is right Dutch. We've always got your back. "

"Thank you, boys. You have all made me the happiest man alive. And I am now richer than I have ever been in my life. "

We all smiled at Dutch. I then noticed trail of smoke coming from the distance. I pointed it out to Dutch. He said:

"See that smoke? Let's cut up here and take a look. They said it was near the lake, so we must be close."

We headed towards the smoke and the path we took led us to the top of a tall hill. Once we were near the top of the hill, Dutch said to us:

"Hold up here."

Dutch, Arthur and I dismounted from our horses. Dutch continued:

"All right, gentlemen. This is it. Are we goddamn ready?"

We all said:

"Ready, Dutch."

"Good. Now, Mr. White, Mr. Morgan and I, we're going to head up here a little. See if we can't get a sense of the layout of the camp. Mr. Williamson, Mr. Bell, you two take a hidden position just outside of the camp. Mr. Summers, Mr. Escuella, you two hold position here. Let's go."

Dutch, Arthur and I headed towards the top of the hill. Once we reached the top, all 3 of us pulled out our binoculars and took a look at the camp. There was quite a large number of men there. If I was to estimate how many, I'd say roughly around 20-30 men. Dutch said to us:

"There they are. That's definitely them."

As we surveyed the area, Arthur spotted a man in fine clothes, well finer than the rest of the men. He had long grey hair and it looked like he had bits of snake skin in his hat and clothes. Arthur asked:

"Colm?"

"Yeah…that's him."

Colm was walking towards his horse. As he was about to mount it, he called a man over to him. After the man came over to him, it was very clear that they were not getting along. It got to a point where Colm grabbed the man and slapped him across the face a couple of times. Poor Kieran. He's been everyone's butt monkey. Hope, we can make things better for him. After slapping Kieran, Colm sent him away and it looked like Kieran had no complaints about leaving. Dutch asked:

"Are they leaving?"

"Seem to be. Should we go get them?"

"No. Colm can wait. Best to get some of them out of there. And much less fun to rob him and his score if he never finds out about it."

We put away our binoculars. Dutch said:

"All right, let's go pay our old friends a visit."

We headed back to where Lenny, Javier and the horses were at. Dutch said to Arthur:

"Don't Forget to grab that rifle from your horse."

He then said to Javier and Lenny:

"You two, get up there and keep us covered."

Lenny replied:

"Sure thing, Dutch."

"Good. Come on, let's go."

Everyone grabbed their weapons from their saddlebags. Javier and Lenny grabbed their long-range rifles, Arthur grabbed the carbine repeater and I grabbed my Winchester repeater and my bow. Dutch continued:

"Seems easiest take the same path down as Bill and Micah. Like you said, revenge is a luxury we can't afford."

Arthur said:

"Yeah. I wasn't sure you agreed with me."

"Arthur…. Arthur have you completely lost faith in me? Our needs right now are supplies, equipment, and a way out of here. Everything else, including Colm, can wait."

"Okay."

"There's enough of those bastards down there to deal with as it is. Now come on."

We follow the same path that Bill, and Micah did. The snow was thick, and the path led down to some slopes, so we had to watch our steps very carefully. Once we get closer to the bottom of the hill, Arthur said to Dutch;

"Maybe Thomas and I should take the lead on this. They're going to be gunning for you, Dutch."

"They ain't got me yet."

"No. But with the way our luck has been running…"

"Arthur is right, Dutch. You're too recognizable. Why don't you let us go first?"

"Hush. Let's just get down there first. Follow me. Let's head for that building in front. "

As we headed for an old sawmill, I overheard a couple of O'Driscoll members talking. They were asking about were certain members were that were supposed to be on guard duty. We didn't kill anyone yet, so I was wondering where they were. As we got closer, we unholstered our weapons and Dutch told us to stay low. We crouched and walked under the log flume. Once we were underneath it, we slowly walked towards the old sawmill. Dutch told Arthur and I to take cover. He then told us to take the lead and that he will join us once we started.

I asked Arthur if I should go first, since I was the one with the bow and we would probably have an easier time if we had the element of surprise on our side. He nodded and told me that he would start shooting the instant my cover was blown. I nodded and started picking off targets.

I was able to kill 10 of them until someone saw one of the men go down. Everyone was on high alert now. Once that happened, I holstered my bow and started using my Winchester. And then the rest of the gang started to attack the O'Driscoll members.

One thing I forgot to consider was that there were men in the abandoned buildings as well as the ones I saw outside. So in total, we had to deal with 10 or 15 more men than I originally thought. But because the guys were really experienced, I wasn't really worried.

In the end, we were the only ones still alive. Micah shouted to Dutch:

"I think that's all of them!"

"Search the bodies, strip everything we can from them!"

As we started to search the bodies for anything and everything of value, Bill asked Dutch:

"You recognize any of them, Dutch?"

"Of course not. Colm doesn't give a damn about his men. All he cares about is numbers. If you can shoot a gun, ride a horse and kill without thought, you're in. Think how long some of you have been with me? I imagine Colm doesn't even know half the names of these fools."

I smiled. That just showed how different Dutch was from Colm. He cared about everyone in his gang. No matter how big or small a role they played in the gang. We may not have been the biggest gang, but we all knew each other. And that's what was important. As I started to loot more bodies for goodies, I heard Dutch shout:

"Heads up, boys! We got more coming in from the forest!"

We all took defensive positions behind houses, boxes or really anything that provided good cover. As more men started coming out of the forest towards us, Dutch asked me if we should hold our ground at the sawmill or go after them in the woods. I told him that we should hold our ground here. If we went after them in the forest, it would give them an opportunity to ambush us in the open. In total, I think we had to deal with 20 or more men. In the end, we won. Any survivors were running away. Dutch said:

"The cowards are running away! Good work, boys! Back to the camp. We'll get what we need and clear out."

We headed back to where the O'Driscolls were camped out. Dutch called the Count over. He got on his horse and said to us:

"Good work, boys. Now, let's tear this place apart. Bill, you go search that wagon there. Micah, search that building. Arthur, you and Thomas take that building on the left. All men, quick! Find those detonators, explosives, anything you can. Let's go."

Arthur and I headed to the building. Found a lot of medicines, tonics, and ammo. I then pointed Arthur towards a crate that had the words "Raisin Bros Explosives, Saint Denis" on it. As Arthur was opening the crate, Bill came into the building. Arthur said to him:

"Here. This looks good. What do you think, Bill?"

Arthur took out a few sticks of dynamite and handed them to Bill. Bill responded:

"Looks fine."

He took a sniff and added:

"Smells good."

We all started carrying boxes of dynamite. I heard Dutch ask if we got everything. We told him that we did, and Micah showed him a map and a plan about the train they were going to rob he found from a corpse. The train in question, belonged to a Mr. Leviticus Cornwall. After everything was packed and had grabbed everything we could, Dutch told us all to mount up and to head back to camp.

He told us that he was proud of us all. Said that no matter what gets thrown at us, we will always get back up and fight back even harder. And said that we are all outlaws for life. He also added that once we get the rest of the boys back in action, nothing will be able to stop us. Dutch continued to say that even though Colm and his gang will be after, especially after we rob this score before they do, we will stay one step ahead of everyone that will be coming after us. And that we allowed ourselves to get a step behind in Blackwater and that something like that won't happen again. I said to him:

"No. Last time, we allowed some damn fool to lead the Pinkertons straight to us because he forgot to check the bag for holes. Isn't that right, Micah?"

"I said I was sorry! How many times do I have to say it?!"

"How about you stop saying it and start doing something to make up for it!"

After that, there was silence. We continued on our way back to camp. Along the way, we saw noticed something in the distance. Dutch said:

"Hey! You see that feller? Wasn't he at the camp with Colm?"

I said to him:

"I got him, Dutch. You and the others head back to camp."

"All right. We're heading back. Just bring him back alive. He could be useful."

"You got it, Dutch. Hyah!"

I gave Widow-Maker a hard kick and he bolted after Kieran. Fortunately, he didn't get very far. Because his horse bucked him off. He must have been riding it too hard. As soon as he fell off, I threw my lasso around him and caught him. Of course, he wasn't too keen on the idea of being caught by a member of the Van Der Linde Gang, so he tried to get out of my lasso. I said to him:

"The more you struggle, the worse it's going to get. Now you can ride on your own horse out of your own free will or you can be hogtied and forced to ride on the back of my horse. It's your choice partner. Although I don't think you're the kind of person that would want his horse to suffer in the cold. Am I right?"

"Well, when you put it that way, let's go get my horse back."

"Smart choice. Now call your horse back."

Kieran called his horse back. Branwen was his name. A beautiful cream colored Tennessee Walker. Once Branwen came back, I put Kieran on his horse and told him:

"Now just because I'm letting you ride your own horse, doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away from me. Your hands will still be tied but you'll be able to control Branwen. Now I'm not one for shooting horses, but if you try to run, I will shoot your horse in the legs and then you'll have to ride on Widow-Maker. And to make it worse, I'll have you put him out of his misery. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir. I'll do what you say. Just don't hurt him."

"As long as you cooperate, you have my word that no harm will come to him."

"I'll cooperate. I swear."

"Good. Now I trust you but just as a little insurance and so that you don't fall, I'm going to have another lasso tied around your saddle horn."

He nodded. I tied the lasso to my own saddle horn and we started heading back to camp. Once we started moving I asked him:

"What's your name, partner?"

"Duffy. Kieran Duffy."

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you Kieran, but you're not going to have an easy time with the gang. Not at first anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"I wish I could tell you but it's important that I don't. Just know that you will play a big role in events to come."

"Events to come?"

"Yes. Now I'm going to warn you ahead of time, there going to be people that will not be very pleasant to you. One in particular because her husband was killed by members of the gang you used to be a part of."

"Oh God. Is she going to kill me?"

"No. And anything they do to you won't be permanent. And there will be others that will be kinder to you than some of the others. I will be one of the kinder ones."

"But why? You threatened to kill my horse if I didn't cooperate."

"I was bluffing. I knew you cared about your horse and wouldn't want to leave him behind. And besides, I love horses. Whenever I've killed them, it hurts my soul."

"But that doesn't explain why you're being so nice to me. You could have just hogtied me and left my horse to die in the freezing cold."

"Because I can tell that you're a good person and that you deserve to be with people that will look out for you. Just as I know that you will."

"You're putting a lot faith in me sir. But I thank you for that. If I went back to Colm, he would have had my hide."

You have no idea how right are about that.

I said to Kieran:

"Well rest assured, that you'll get better treatment from us than you would from Colm. It's more helpful and rewarding when someone willingly gives you something out of their own free will rather than through torture."

"That does sound interesting. What's your name, sir?"

"The name is Thomas White. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kieran Duffy. I'd shake your hand but your hands are tied and on the reins. Maybe we'll fix that once we get to camp."

"Sounds good to me, Mr. White."

"Please, just call me Thomas."

He nodded and we continued our way back to camp. After riding for a while, we made it to camp. I helped Kieran off his horse. Dutch approached us and said:

"Good work, Thomas. Welcome to your new home, son. I hope you'll enjoy our company."

"He has a few things to say to you, Dutch."

"Oh really? Like what?"

Kieran told him:

"Yes sir. I may have been a member of the gang, but it wasn't by choice. I'm willing to cooperate and tell you everything about Colm O'Driscoll and his gang."

"Now how do I know you would be telling me the truth?"

"Because I hate that son of a bitch and I want to see him pay for what's done to good people."

Dutch looked at Kieran very carefully. He looked him in the eyes and said:

"What's your name, son?"

"Kieran Duffy."

"Well Kieran Duffy. You may prove more useful than I thought. Uncle, Mr. Williamson, please escort our guest to his new living quarters. Make sure he's locked up safe and sound. I'll be with him momentarily."

Uncle and Bill escorted Kieran to another cabin. He looked at me worryingly but nodded to him. He nodded back. Dutch then said to me:

"Good work, Thomas. Although if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you hogtie him? You took a great risk in letting him ride on his own horse. He could have bolted and then we would have had nothing."

"I've learned that you'll get more honest information from someone if they're willing tell you rather than through torture."

"That's very good point. Well done son."

"Thank you. I'm just sorry we didn't get Colm."

"There will be other times, Thomas. Now I have to put a plan together about that train. You get some sleep, son. You've earned it."

"Thank you, Dutch."

I went back to the cabin and I found Mary-Beth trying to read a book but White Fang wanted to play. As soon as I entered the room, White Fang ran towards me and started jumping. I lifted him up and let him lick my face.

"It's good to see you too, boy. Whatca reading there, Mary-Beth?"

As soon as she saw me, she dropped her book and hugged me.

"Every time you go out with Dutch and the others, I'm afraid that you won't ever be coming back. Not alive at least."

"Oh darling. I made a promise to you remember? That I will always be there for you. No matter what."

She smiled and nodded.

"White Fang has been keeping me company and has been following me everywhere I go."

I pet him on the head and said:

"Good wolf."

So after we ate dinner, we curled up next to each other for the night.


	12. Chapter 12

May 14, 1899

Grizzlies West, Ambarino

The last few days have been relatively quiet. Dutch has been planning on how to rob the train from Leviticus Cornwall. The rest of the gang is getting restless. I don't blame them. They want to get out of the mountains and get out of the cold. Many of them want to get back to some form of civilization. Especially since finding food in this cold has been difficult.

But there have been a few plus sides to being here. The pups are getting bigger and are loved by everyone. It's given the rest of the gang members an opportunity to catch up on their reading and bonding time. Especially for the couples of the gang, like Dutch and Molly, Sean and Karen, Lenny and Jenny, John and Abigail and of course, Mary-Beth and me.

And in the time, I've been here, I actually found another horse. A beautiful white Arabian mare. The first time I tried to catch her was at night. That was a mistake because she blended in really well with the snow. So the I set up camp near the lake she liked to live near. The next morning, I found her. And after falling off twice, I was able to tame her. I named her Winter, because her coat was as white as snow. I figured that Mary-Beth could have her own horse when we get out of here. So either way, I could keep Widow-Maker and give Winter to Mary-Beth or the other way around. Either way, I've got two beautiful horses that belong to me and Mary-Beth.

The only things that had me concerned about was having Kieran anywhere near Sadie. She still absolutely hated the O'Driscoll gang and I think she's thought about murdering him just because he was a part of the gang (even though it wasn't really his choice). The only other things that had me concerned was with the upcoming robbery and having Micah anywhere near Dutch. Fortunately, Hosea shares my thoughts about him and kept him away from Dutch.

Every time I thought about how things could have been done differently is if Dutch had stayed true to his original principles of providing money for those who couldn't afford it. I'm sure he distributed some of the money to the poor, but I didn't see it happen in the game. If Dutch ever wants to achieve his goals of having a life of freedom and liberties away from the control of the corrupt government, Dutch would need more than just the people in his gang to help. And if he were to ever die, he would need to be remembered as a freedom fighter and as a man of the people and not as a criminal. I would need to help Dutch to become as big of an outlaw like Jesse James and his gang.

So yesterday I approached him and asked him how he planned to rob the train. Of course, since I already played the game, I knew how it was going to go but I wanted to see if he had something different this time. It wasn't. It was the same plan as before. Bill would plant dynamite near the tracks, blow up the tracks once the train passed and then we'd rob the train from there. And like last time, not everything would go according to plan but we would still get our main goal achieved. I said to him:

"That's not a bad idea, Dutch. But I think I might have a better idea. May I?"

"Of course, Thomas."

So I pointed at the map. Instead of just blowing up the train from underneath the caboose, we should set sticks of dynamite near the tunnel entrance. We also set dynamite where the end of the train should be once it stops. That way it won't be able to escape by reversing itself. We will have the engineer and the rest of the crew completely at our mercy. And with Sean still with us instead of the "tender" care of the Pinkertons, we now have more manpower on our side. So it would be Dutch, Arthur, Bill, Javier, Charles, Sean, Lenny, Micah and I that would go and rob the train. Dutch heard my plan and said that it was a much better idea than what he originally thought. And he agreed that it was the best course of action to go with. He said that he would put the plan into action tomorrow, which would be today.

After having breakfast and feeding White Fang, I decided to go see how John was doing. Mary-Beth and White Fang would be hanging out with the other ladies who were trying to stay warm and productive.

I know that if he was feeling better, he'd love to join us. But he's still recovering from his time with the wolves. If any good came out of this, he got to spend more time with his family. And ever since Ace and his siblings joined our gang, Jack has been happier. Plus, Ace has been keeping John company when he needed it. And I'd like to think that this has been helping John with his relationship with Abigail and Jack. I entered the cabin that John and his family were staying in. As I approached the bed he was laying on, I saw Reverend Swanson sitting next to him. I said:

"Hey John. Hello Reverend."

John said to me:

"Hello Thomas."

Swanson then said:

"Hello Thomas. It's been a while since we've spoken."

"Indeed it has been. How's our patient doing?"

"Those scratches will leave scars, but other than that he will be fine. "

John looked a little down. So I said to him:

"Look on the bright side, John. Women dig men with scars."

He chuckled and said:

"I'm not sure Abigail would agree with you on that. But thanks anyway, Thomas."

Arthur then opened the door and said to Swanson:

"I thought you were reading him his last rites. Now I see you're introducing him to your other passion."

Swanson was not happy about that and replied:

"I'll mind you to show me some respect, Mr. Morgan."

"Mind away, Reverend."

Swanson walked away. Arthur looked at John and said:

"Still here, then?"

I owe you. I owe you both."

"And you'll pay us. But for the moment, just rest."

"Arthur is right, John. You should rest until we get out of here. "

We heard Dutch opening the door and calling us both. He said that he thinks it's time for us to rob the train. John asked Dutch if he wanted him to come with us. Dutch said:

"Of course I do but look at you."

"I was always ugly, Dutch. It's just a scratch."

"Lie still, son."

I heard the door open again. This time it was Abigail and Jack entering the cabin. Dutch greeted both of them. He even called Jack "Jackie". Jack wanted to see his father. John felt embarrassed that his son was seeing him in the shape he was in. Abigail said that she was kind of hoping to see a corpse. I said to her:

"And what good would that do you, Abigail? John may be an idiot at times, but he is loyal to you and despite what you say, you know you love him. He may be an idiot, but he's your idiot."

Dutch replied:

"He is an idiot Abigail. We all know it. But he's one of the few idiots I actually like."

She smiled at what we said and looked at her husband. Ace jumped down from John to play with Jack. Dutch tilted his head as a way of telling me and Arthur to follow him. When he opened the door, he said:

"Bill now are you ride ahead and set the charges. Blow up the entrance to the tunnel once you get there. After that, set the charges near the water tower."

"Ain't a problem."

Bill got on his horse, Brown Jack, and headed for where the train was headed. As he was riding, Hosea went up to Dutch and asked him:

"Why are we doing this? The weather's breaking. We could leave. I thought we were lying low."

Dutch replied to him:

"What do you want from me, Hosea?"

"I just don't want anymore folks to die, Dutch."

"We're living, Hosea. We're living. Look at me, we're living. Even you. But we need money. And everything we have is back in Blackwater. You fancy heading back there?"

"No. Listen Dutch, I ain't trying to undermine you. I just…. I just want to stick to the plan. Which was to lie low, then head back out west. Now suddenly, we're about to rob a train."

"What choice have we got?"

"Leviticus Cornwall's no joke, Dutch."

Arthur than asked who this Leviticus Cornwall fella is. Hosea told Arthur that he's a big business tycoon. Railway magnet, sugar dealer, oil rig. Basically, this man has a lot of money to spare and yet he's using it only on himself and not the people who bust their backs working for him. Dutch replied:

"Well good for him. Sounds like he has more than enough to share."

"Dutch!"

"Gentlemen! It is time to make something of ourselves! Get your horses ready! We've got a train to rob!"

As I was heading for Widow-Maker, I told Hosea that I would keep an eye on Dutch and keep everyone safe. He put his hand on my shoulder and said thank you. I nodded back. Everyone that was going to be a part of the operation got on their horses and went in the direction Bill went.

The members of the gang that were going to have a part in the robbery would be me, Dutch, Sean, Charles, Bill, Javier, Lenny, Arthur and Micah. So in total, nine people. Since Bill went ahead of us, it was just eight of us for now. Dutch shouted out:

"All right, we're moving out. Follow me! "

Once we were some distance away from the camp, we went over the plan. Bill would blow up the entrance leading to the tunnel and then blow up the tracks behind the train to cut off its escape. Charles and Sean would act as lookouts for any outriders that might be escorting the train. Dutch and I would take out the driver and engineer. Lenny and Javier would take out the front cars and deal with any guards the train has. Arthur and Micah would then secure the last car, which would contain anything of value to Cornwall. Of course, Arthur wasn't too fond of the idea of working with the son of a bitch, but he didn't have much choice. Dutch asked us all if we understood the plan and we all agreed. We continued our way towards where the train would be passing by.

After riding for a quite a while, we were finally out of the mountains and out of the snow. I'm more of a winter kind of person than summer but there comes a time where there is just too much snow. It was nice to ride on grass that wasn't covered in snow. It appears that I wasn't the only one who felt that way. As Arthur said out loud:

"Out of the snow, finally."

Dutch responded:

"Feels good, don't it? But we need to get this done fast now that it's thawing…before anyone gets up here after us."

As we continued riding, Dutch turned around and looked at us. He had a great big smile on his face. It was full of pride and joy. He said to all of us:

"Look that you boys. See? This is what I call a crew. Arthur Morgan. Thomas White. Micah Bell. Charles Smith. Sean MacGuire. Javier Escula. And what about young Lenny Summers here? Always the first man on his horse."

Not many people know this, but Lenny was blushing as red a lobster in the summer sun. He wasn't used to getting so much praise. He responded to Dutch:

"Just happy we're back at it, Dutch."

Javier asked him if he was ready for this. Lenny assured us that he was ready. Dutch continued:

"Just stay calm and keep your eyes sharp. That goes for all of you. No mistakes. Not again. "

Micah then had to open his fat mouth and asked:

"So we do this, then we go back to Blackwater to collect?"

I replied to him:

"You seem awfully interested in us going back there, Micah. Have any other "friends" you would like to introduce us to? Because I would love to meet more men of the law."

"I told you before, it ain't like that. I'm only asking because that's whole lot of money to just leave sitting there for too long. Anyone else could find it."

Charles shared my thoughts and said:

"It would be crazy to go back there now. The place would be swarming with Pinkertons."

Dutch seemed to agree with us. As he said:

"We go back there when I say we go back. And that's the end of it. The money is safe. You'll just have to trust me. And if the O'Driscolls are right, there'll be a stack of railroad bonds on the train. Good money, once we work out how to cash them. Now everyone, shut up and get your mind on the job at hand. Come on. "

We arrived at the spot. We were standing at the edge of a ridge, overlooking the train tracks near a water tower. Bill had already sealed up the entrance to the tunnel. Now all that was left was to get to work on stopping the train from reversing. Dutch asked me if I wanted to head down to the tracks and see if Bill needed help. I told him that I would go help him.

I rode down the side of the hill from the ridge towards where Bill was. He was finishing up on sticking dynamite on the tracks. I asked him if he needed any help. He said that I could help him by setting up the detonator by the rocks. I connected the wire from the dynamite to the detonator. After I took care of that, Bill told me to head back up the ridge and join the others. Before I went back up, I said to Bill:

"Hey Bill, just in case the detonator doesn't go off, I suggest that you should shoot the dynamite."

"All right, Thomas. Thanks for the advice."

I nodded and headed back up to join the others. As I rode up, I could hear Micah saying;

"About time. I have to say; I'm actually looking forward to this."

Dutch responded:

"Just be ready to move quick. And remember the plan, all of you. No mistakes. "

As I approached him, Dutch asked me if Bill had everything ready. I told him that we' were good to go. He then told us all to cover our faces. Everyone in the group put their bandannas over their mouths. Even from a distance, Bill must have heard him because he had his on too.

About a minute or two later, we could hear the train approaching. As it was getting closer, it was getting louder. Dutch said to us all:

"Gentlemen, it's time. Good luck, all of you. You all know what to do."

The train came into view. As soon as it made the turn from around the corner, the engineer saw that the tunnel was blocked. He immediately pulled on the brakes put the train at full stop. The first part of my plan was working. And then it would be Bill's turn. He pulled on the detonator and unlike last, it worked. The dynamite exploded from behind the train, but it didn't damage car that was carrying the cargo. As soon as the train stopped and the dynamite exploded, we rode down the ridge and headed for the train.

But just like in the game, Leviticus Cornwall wasn't going to let his train go unguarded. The train had a lot of men guarding it. In the last few cars from the back, many of them were opening doors and firing at us. But because we were attacking from every direction, it had them all confused. They have had more numbers, but we had experience and that made the difference. Eventually, we were able to kill them all except the ones that surrendered. Which was a total of seven people.

But just when we thought we were done, a bullet whizzed past Sean, narrowly missing his head. It turns out that Cornwall had men escorting the train by horse as well. They took us by surprise, but we were able to kill them all. After that, we all headed to the final car. Dutch shouted to the men in the car:

"What are you boys planning to do in there? Listen to me, we don't want to kill any of you. Well, any more of you."

We all chuckled, and he continued:

"I gave you my word but trust me we will."

A voice came from the car.

"I work for Leviticus Cornwall!"

"Come on, boys. We don't want to hurt any of you. So just open up the door and we won't harm any of you. "

"We got our orders."

This is where I decided to say something. I asked Dutch if that was all right and he nodded yes. So I said to them:

"What's more important? Your orders or your lives?"

"Our lives of course. But if we don't follow our orders, then he will kill us."

"So why even follow him? It sounds to me like you're working for a guy who doesn't even do his fair share of the work."

"We work for him because he pays us. We've all got families to take care of."

"And don't you think they'd rather have you returned to them alive than dead? Trust me gentlemen, we are men of our word. So if you open the doors, no more harm will come to any of you. If you don't, we're going to blow the doors open, and shoot you all at point blank range."

There was silence for a few seconds and then we got a response.

"All right. We're coming out."

Dutch looked at me like a proud father and said:

"Well done, son. You did it."

"Thanks, Dutch."

The doors opened and three men came out of the train with their hands up. After they got off the train, they were told to sit down and wait for us to finish our business and then they would be allowed back in. They did so without question or hesitation. Once everyone was out, Arthur, Lenny, Micah and I entered the car. After searching the whole train car, we found quite a lot of money and the bonds that Dutch was talking about. After we got off the train, Arthur handed Dutch the bonds.

After that, Dutch told me to deal with the rest of the men who were on the train. He said that they can live, so long as they don't send people after us. And then after I was done, I meet them back at camp. They would have everything ready to go once I got back. The rest of the gang followed Dutch back to camp.

Once they were gone, I told the men to head inside the train. I told the engineer to be ready to move the train after I blew up the rocks blocking the tunnel. He nodded. I climbed up the rubble and placed two sticks of dynamite in places where the rocks would be destroyed. I lit the fuse and climbed back down very quickly. I made it back to the train before the dynamite exploded. And fortunately, it worked. The rubble was out of the way. I said to the engineer:

"Now get of here and go back to your families. And remember, don't tell anyone who robbed you. You tell your boss that you didn't recognize the gang, am I clear?"

He nodded. But just as I was about to get back on Widow-Maker, he asked me why I helped them clear a path for them rather than have them do it themselves. I told him that it's because I just can't help myself from helping people. I may be an outlaw but I'm not heartless. That said, I'm good but I ain't that good. I gave Widow-Maker a kick and headed back to camp. As I left, I heard the train engineer blow the train whistle.

After riding for a good long while, I made it back to camp. Everyone had everything packed and put in the wagons. The wolf pups were in one wagon and being looked after by Jack and the rest of the women. The horses that weren't pulling the wagons were tied behind the final wagon so that if we should stop for any reason, they wouldn't get hurt by the other horses.

John was still took weak to really help out, so he was lifted by a stretcher and was put on a wagon, where he would be looked after by Abigail and Swanson.

But not everything was going smoothly. I could hear Mrs. Grimshaw yelling at Mary-Beth. She was telling her to put a book she was reading down and help the others. But when I arrived, she got up quickly and started helping the others take care of the last bit of things needed to be done.

I saw Dutch and Hosea talking. I got off Widow-Maker and asked:

"So, are we getting out of this frozen hellhole?"

Dutch replied:

"We're going to try. Weather seems stable. And all of the snow has thawed enough for the wagons to go through without any trouble. "

Hosea added:

"And we just robbed a Leviticus Cornwall train."

Dutch responded:

"We got money in our pockets. The worst is behind us gentlemen. So the question is, where now? "

"I know this country a little. I told you, we should set up camp in Horseshoe Overlook near Valentine. We'll be able to hide out there no problem. As long as we keep our noses clean. "

"Well then let's go. Clean noses and everything else. Arthur, you're in that one with Hosea. I know you two like to talk about the good all days and what's gone wrong with old Dutch. Thomas, you can ride with me if you want. "

"Will do, Dutch."

I tied up Widow-Maker with the rest of the horses and headed for the head wagon. And to my delight, Mary Beth was in the wagon alongside Molly and our pups. The girls seemed really happy having new passengers in the wagon.

I sat on the shotgun side with Dutch. But then he gave me the reins and told me to lead the way. I nodded and gave the reins a crack. The horses started moving and we were on our way to our new home. For the time being at least. And while I was driving the horses, I started to think of other ways I could change this for the better. But I will save those for my next entry.


	13. Chapter 13

May 17, 1899

Horseshoe Overlook, New Hanover

3 days have passed since the train robbery and our departure from the mountains. And everything has been going smoothly. We've been traveling with no one following us and we've been safe from bandits or wild animals. And by leaving the mountains, everyone has been losing their heavy clothing. It made things easier for everyone. Dutch was right. With how heavy the snow was, we left no tracks for anyone to follow. Plus with the pups, anyone who was following us could mistake our tracks for someone else, because we didn't have them when we left Blackwater.

And after 3 days of traveling through the mountainside, we finally reached ground level. Or as close as you could get.

As we continued our way, Dutch shouted out for Micah and Lenny. Both of them were riding their horses and rode up to Dutch. Dutch said to them:

"You two ride up ahead and make sure there are no surprises. We've had enough of those. "

Micah replied:

"Me, with the boy?"

"Just go!"

Micah relented and agreed. He then said to Lenny:

"Come on kid! You can buy me a whiskey. "

And just like that, both of them ran ahead. I could tell that Lenny wanted nothing more than to introduce Micah to the bottom of his boot. I felt bad for Lenny. He shouldn't have to deal with that sewer rat. But if all goes according to my plan, he won't have to for much longer.

About five minutes after Lenny and Micah went ahead of us, we were crossing the Dakota River. It was a pretty deep river, but the horses and the wagons were able to cross without much difficulty. But just like in the game, Arthur's wagon lost its back wheel. Some of the boxes and barrels fell out of the wagon.

We all stopped to see if they were all right. Hosea headed for the back of the wagon to see if they could fix it. Arthur got off and went to help him. I got off the wagon I was riding with Dutch and headed back to help them. Charles did the same thing. I told Dutch and the others to go ahead of us and we'll catch up with them. He agreed and the rest of the gang kept going.

Charles, Hosea and I held up the wagon while Arthur picked up the wheel and put it back in place. Fortunately, the wheel wasn't broken. It just needed an extra pounding to be put back in place. Once the wheel was back in place, we put the boxes and barrels back in the wagon. As we were putting the last of the stuff back on, Hosea was looking across the river. We all looked in the same direction. We saw three Native Americans watching us on horseback from a ridge. Arthur asked:

"What do you think?"

Charles replied:

"If they wanted trouble, we wouldn't have seen them."

I knew what he meant. Native Americans were specialist in guerrilla warfare. They could give John Rambo a run for his money. Hosea and I waved at them, but they didn't respond. Hosea said:

"Poor bastards. We really screwed them over down here."

I responded:

"We didn't screw them over, Hosea. The government did. They did the same thing to the native people up East. It's the same almost everywhere in the country."

Hosea told us that we shouldn't push our luck and should keep moving. We grabbed what was left and put it back on the wagon. I knew there wouldn't be enough room for all four of us on the wagon, so I whistled for Widow-Maker. Widow-Maker came by very quickly and I got on top of my horse. Once everyone was on the wagon, Arthur took the reins and followed the trail. Hosea would guide him in case we got lost.

As we continued our way, Hosea told us about how bad the natives, in particular the Wapiti tribe, have had it ever since the government allowed every settler to steal every bit of land from them and when they sent the US Army to watch over the people in the reservations. It made me think about the Natives back home. How there used to be so many of them all across the country. And now, they live in small pockets of land. It broke my heart knowing that no matter what changes I make here, it wasn't going to change what happened in real life. And if everyone were to discover that I was from the future, I couldn't bare to tell Charles how bad things were for the natives from my time.

Anyway, after that conversation, Arthur asked Charles about his tribe. Charles didn't recall really having one. He told us about how his father was a freed colored man and his mother was a native woman. He reminded me a lot of Josh Sweets, a character from a movie about Atlantis. Both of them had a colored man for a father and a native woman as their mother.

Charles told us about how his mother was taken by soldiers and neither he nor his father ever saw her again. About how Charles had to pretty much take care of himself since his father became an alcoholic. And by the time he was 13, he just decided to live out on his own.

Hosea then told us about the area we were headed. About how it was near a town called Valentine. A nice quiet, hardworking town, and if we kept our heads down, then we could avoid trouble. He also brought up the ferry robbery. On how he and Arthur have a real plan to do some thing to get money that wouldn't have required us to rob people. But he also did mention that with my plan, we were able to complete that robbery without killing anybody. So he was grateful for that.

And Arthur made us feel better by assuring us that in spite of the number of mistakes we've made, more often than not we end doing things right more than we do things wrong. As we continued our way, Hosea was making some kind of homemade medicine in a mortar and grinding it with a pestle. Made of ginseng and yarrow. Said that works better than any medicine you could get at a drugstore. After he was done, he gave the medicine to Arthur. Said that he has done it so many times he can practically do it with his eyes closed. I asked him if he could teach me how to make that, and Hosea said he would be delighted to show me how.

After that, we all just stopped talking and continued our way to follow the others. Hosea kept us going in the right direction. A few minutes later, we heard a voice from the distance. A familiar one. It was Javier and he said:

"There you are, my brothers. Head in there and follow the tracks for a bit. "

I said thanks to him. He then asked if he could hitch a ride on the back of the wagon. Hosea said that was all right, but he would have to hang on since there weren't any sitting spots left. Javier was all right with that. So he went to the back of the wagon and stood on a small step and held on while we continued our way.

Hosea asked Javier if they had any trouble getting through. He said no and that this was an excellent spot to set up camp. And he was right. It was a perfect hiding spot. Small field surrounded by very large and thick trees on one side. And on the other, a ridge to look over the field below and ahead to see a river. There was a spot where we could keep spare horses and where everyone could hitch their own. Everybody was getting their tents and sleeping quarters set up. Mr. Pearson was already setting up shop. And the pups were running around on fresh grass not covered in snow. As we approached, Hosea said:

"Here we are gentlemen. Home sweet home."

After he said that, the wagon stopped, and I got off of Widow-Maker. I hitched him to a post next to Winter. I said to him:

"Thanks boy. Why don't you take it easy for the rest of the night? "

He snorted in agreement. I pet him and headed to join the others. I saw Dutch having a conversation with Hosea.

"You weren't wrong, Hosea. This place is perfect."

"I hope so."

"Gentlemen, we have survived."

"For now."

"Now, it is time to prosper."

"Arthur and I were about to prosper in Blackwater. We were onto something big. Then Micah got you all excited about that ferry and here we are."

"True. But thanks to Thomas, we were able to complete that mission without bloodshed. And even more, we were able to make more money than we thought we would have. We have all made mistakes over the years, Hosea. Every last one of us. "

" _Some more than others."_ I thought to myself. And of course I was referring to Micah. Dutch continued:

"But I kept us together. Kept us alive. Kept the nooses off of our necks."

Hosea replied:

"I guess I'm just worried. I ain't got that long, Dutch. I want folks safe before I go. "

"Me too, Hosea."

"And now we are stuck. East of the Grizzlies, out of money and a long way from our dream of virgin land in the west."

"I know, my brother, but we are safe. We make a bit of money here, then we move again. Head out around them, be west of Uncle Sam and in a few months, we buy some land."

"I hope so."

While this conversation was going on, some of the others were doing chores around the camp. Charles was chopping wood. Susan was instructing people on how to set up tents. Everyone else was doing something helpful. Even Uncle was helping out. Dutch said:

"Would you just look around you? This world has its constellations. "

And then, Leopold approached Dutch and Hosea. He said to them:

"Gentlemen, I'm going to head into the local town, and you know, see if I can strike up a little business. "

Dutch replied:

"Of course, Herr Strauss. I prefer robbing banks to usury. Seems more dignified somehow. "

Before Leopold left the camp, I touched his shoulder and said to him:

"remember what we agreed upon, Leopold. You were only to give money to people you know for sure will be able to pay it back. Loyal customers mean that they will want to come back."

"Not to worry, Thomas. I haven't forgotten. I assure you; we will not be robbing people of things they cannot afford or cause them to go bankrupt. Physically or spiritually. "

"Well that eases my mind and my spirits very much. Thank you, Leopold. When you come back, we'll have a drink."

"Thank you, Thomas. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a business to run."

"Of course. Go ahead. We will catch up later. "

As much as I trusted Leopold and that he truly was a changed man, I still had my doubts. There would have to be a few changes around the area I would have to fix. But I would have to wait until tomorrow. As I thought about my plans, Dutch shouted:

"Now everyone, put your tools down for a moment! Come on! Gather round! Quickly now! "

Everyone dropped what they were doing and headed for the center of the camp. After everyone was gathered, we are formed a circle around Dutch. He said to us:

"I know things have been tough. But we are safe now. And we are far too poor. So it is time for everyone to get to work."

Hosea, who was standing right beside him, said:

"Get to work but stay out of trouble. Remember, we are itinerant workers."

"Laid off when they shut down our factory in the north. Now get out there and see what you can find. Uncle, Reverend Swanson, no more passengers."

Everyone laughed. Dutch continued:

"It is time for everyone to earn their keep."

"There is a town a little way down the track name of Valentine. Livestock town. All mud and morons if I remember right. That seems a decent place to start."

Mr. Pearson then said to us:

"We need food. Real food. That means every day, one of you."

Dutch replied;

"Thank you for that Mr. Pearson. That is very good to know. And remember, whatever it is that you find, the camp gets its slice."

As he said this, he pulled out a small box and opened it. He then put in a few dollar bills.

"Now be sensible out there. And more importantly, be safe."

After his speech, we are all headed in separate directions. Susan approached me and Arthur. She told us that our tents have been set up. Arthur's was close to Dutch's tent. Not too close but close enough. Mine was near Arthur's. Fortunately, most if not all of our stuff got saved, courtesy of me having everyone prepared just in case. The only thing we couldn't save where is all of the money that we took from the ferry. But we could fix that. I then overheard Susan yelling at Tilly.

After she left, I decided to sit down in my tent. After so many days of traveling, it felt nice to sit on solid ground. And the ground that wasn't covered in snow. Mary-Beth entered the tent. It seems that Susan was comfortable of us sharing a tent together. Which makes sense, since she had no problem with us sharing a bed together back in the mountains. I was really happy about that. Mary-Beth, the gang, the pups, they are the best thing that have happened to me in a very long time. And I would have to make sure that things went smoothly for this gang.

But before I could make some changes around here, I had to make sure that there was someone far away from Valentine. Thomas Downes, the man who gives Arthur tuberculosis. But I will do that tomorrow.


	14. Chapter 14

May 19th, 1899

Horseshoe Overlook, New Hanover

Despite what I said in my last journal entry, I waited two days before I would go and meet Thomas Downes. And that was because I needed to find a few things before I met him. Namely, I needed to find a gold bar or two. I needed to find something that would give him and his family a lot of money. That way that they wouldn't need to borrow any money from Leopold, and they could have enough money to get out of Valentine.

I trusted Leopold had changed his ways. But I still wanted to take extra precautions. And besides, at least I know for sure that if I give them something, they will take it and they will go. As you have probably read in my previous journals, I can be very persuasive with people.

And as luck would have it, I ended up finding two gold bars. I came across a man that was named Máximo Cristóbal Valdespino (boy that's a mouthful). He was looking for treasure that was collected by the Jack Hall Gang. But he said he ran out of time and had plans to go to Japan. So for the price of $5, I was able to get the map and found two gold bars from the map he gave me. With both bars, it would be a total amount of $1000. That would be more than enough for Thomas and his family.

So after searching for gold yesterday, I woke up the next morning and got some breakfast. Mr. Pearson had cooked some wonderful deer stew. And even though I am more of a tea person, I do like a good cup of coffee. I then did some chores around the camp. I helped chop up some wood with Charles. Helped clean the dishes with Susan. And tended to the horses with Sean and Javier.

Of course, not everyone was having such a great time here. Poor Sadie was still grieving at the loss of her husband. She had been excused from doing any chores around here. At least for the time being. And of course, Jack is only three years old. He's too young to do anything to help around here. If he is good at anything that's helpful, he helps take care of the wolf pups. I would be sure to take Jack fishing as a reward for his help.

And of course, poor Kieran was still being held hostage. Even though he helped us, people still didn't trust him. Sadie was just downright unkind to him. One time, he was very thirsty, and she spilled water right in front of him and made him watch as the pups drank it. She still blamed him for what happened to her husband. I'll have to have a word with her when I get back.

After having breakfast and finishing the chores in the camp, I headed for Winter. I wanted to bond with her as much as I had with Widow-Maker. Besides, he deserved to take it easy for a few days. As I got on Winter, Mary-Beth approached me. She said to me:

"Where are you going, Thomas?"

"I'm going to see an old acquaintance of mine. We met each other once before. His name is also Thomas."

"Oh I see. Well while you're out, could you keep an eye out for a book for me?"

"Sure sweetheart. Which one?"

"It's the Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Ever since you talked about it, I've been interested in reading it."

"No problem, darling. I'll find it for you. I won't be long. You will definitely see me before sundown."

"All right. Be safe."

"You no me darling. Neither Heaven nor Hell will keep me away from you."

And then she said something I was not expecting.

"I love you, Thomas."

I was taken completely by surprise. I mean, I've said it before but when she was sleeping. But I was very happy to hear that. And I responded with the only thing I could say.

"I love you too, Mary-Beth."

I leaned over so that I could kiss her before I left. I have tasted a great many things in my time in this world, but nothing will ever come as close as to the sweetness of her lips. It was so tender, sweet and full of passion. Full of love. And that's something I haven't felt in a long time. After our lips parted from each other, I gave Winter a small kick and headed out.

After leaving the camp, I headed towards Downes Ranch. Luckily for me, it was just short of a mile away from Valentine. As I approached the ranch, I did so with caution. I did not know at this point how serious Thomas Downes condition was. If I was to speak with him and his family, I would have to do it without getting to close. At least not close enough for him to cough on me. I don't feel like dying because of an illness. I hitched Winter on a nearby post. Fortunately, everything was exactly the way it was when Arthur arrived in the game. Which means, that they were still in the area.

As I approached the house, I knocked on the door and put a little spit shine on my hair. I heard footsteps approaching the door. It opened and I saw a woman, possibly in her mid-40s. I said to her:

"Mrs. Downes?"

"Yes?"

"My name is Thomas White. I'm very sorry to bother you, ma'am. But is your husband and son around as well? "

"Yes. They're doing work right now. Can I help you?"

"I apologize for bothering you ma'am, but it's urgent I speak with you, your husband and your son. "

"What is this all about?"

"I would prefer to tell to all three of you. I wouldn't come all this way here if it wasn't important or urgent. I promise you, I come in peace and I just want to help. You have my word. "

"Very well then. I'll go get them. "

"Thank you kindly, ma'am. Would you prefer I wait out here until you get back with them?"

"If you don't mind. I would prefer all four of us to be inside the house."

"I understand completely, ma'am. Please take your time."

So she headed out towards a nearby barn. I sat at the foot of the steps and waited. About two minutes later, I saw her return with her husband and their son. Mr. Downes approached me and said:

"I'm Mr. Thomas Downes. How can I help you, sir?"

He reached out to shake my hand. Fortunately, I anticipated this. I didn't know for sure if he was going to be coughing into his hands, so I put on a pair of gloves. I shook his hand and said to him:

"Good morning sir. My name is Thomas White. I am very sorry to bother you and your family, but I have something very urgent to tell all of you. "

"Well we better get inside if we are going to have a long conversation, Mr. White."

I knew that TB was an airborne disease and I didn't know how clean the inside of the house was. And although I have a strong immune system, I didn't want to take any chances. So I said to him:

"Actually, if it's all right with you, I prefer we have the conversation right here. At the front porch. It's a beautiful day. Let's not waste it."

He thought about it for a few seconds and replied:

"Very well, Mr. White."

As we sat down on the porch, Edith Downes went inside. I heard the kettle boiling. So she was making tea for everyone. She offered me a cup and I thanked her. After a sip, I said:

"Mr. Downes, what are your thoughts on fate?"

"An odd question but I believe everything happens for a reason. Why do you ask?"

"Because I may have seen your future in a dream of mine. And it's not a pleasant one, sir."

"What do you mean?"

So I told him that I knew that he had tuberculosis. At this point, it wasn't serious but in time, it will get worse and eventually he would die. And that when he dies, his family will have a difficult life. At least for a while.

And when he asked how I was so sure about all of this, I told him that I've had powerful dreams about people in the past and they've always been correct. Of course, I left out the parts about one of my "visions" helping a gang rob a steamboat. They didn't need to know that.

After I told him all of this, his face turned as pale as a ghost. He then looked to me and asked me if I was absolutely sure. I nodded. He then asked:

"Is there anything that we can do about this?"

I reached out for my pocket and gave him the two bars of gold. I then said:

"There are a few things you can do. It may not take away the disease, but it can ease the pain. I once heard a doctor say that going someplace warm all year round will help. I suggest either Texas or Arizona. Those places are warm all year long."

"Do you think we have to travel that far away?"

"Maybe not, but you should go someplace where it doesn't drop so dramatically. And I have heard that a healthy diet will help as well. "

"With all of this information, you must be a doctor as well as a psychic."

"I'm no doctor, sir. I just read a lot."

I also handed him a list of things that he could eat and drink that would help him. These may not cure him of his TB, but it will ease the pain and will help the body to try and counteract the symptoms of tuberculosis. These items are:

Bananas

Pineapples

Garlic

Gourds

Mint

Indian Gooseberry

Oranges

Black Pepper

Walnuts

Green Tea

After handing him the list, I gave him the two bars of gold. When he asked me what the bars were for, I told him to use the gold to help his family. Use it to move to a new place. Either way, this will help his family and he won't be near the gang. Or near anyone else to accidentally infect with.

He thanked me for my kindness and for everything I gave him. After finishing my tea, I headed towards Winter. But before I left, Thomas asked me why I had helped. He was a complete stranger to me and yet I had traveled so far to help him and his family. I said to him:

"Because I have seen one person die a horrible death from this disease. I couldn't bare to watch it happen again."

He nodded and thanked me again for my help. I climbed up on Winter and left the ranch. I then headed into Valentine and went into the general store. I searched the entire store and luckily, I found a copy of the Jungle Book for Mary-Beth. While I was in Valentine, I picked up some more medical supplies at the doctor's office and some more ammunition. You can't be too careful these days.

After I left Valentine, I decided to go hunting. And as luck would have it, I found a pair of plump looking turkeys. After killing them with my bow, I tied them to Winter and headed back to camp.

When I arrived back to camp, I tied up Winter to the hitching post and took the turkeys off the saddle. I then brought them to Mr. Pearson, who was very pleased that I found such good-looking turkeys and that they would be able to feed everyone well.

I then walked towards Mary-Beth and opened my arms. She saw me and ran straight into my arms. I held her very tight and kissed her. I then reached out of my satchel and gave her the book she wanted. She thanked me and couldn't wait to start reading it.

I then headed towards the wagon near Leopold that had all of the medical supplies. I put the supplies I bought with the rest of the supplies in the wagon.

I then went to the ledger and looked at the things we could use to help the camp. With all the money we had, we had just enough to buy a chicken coop, which costs $175. So decided to use our money for that. At least this way, if no one is around to go hunting, we'd always have fresh eggs and chicken to eat. I'd go in the morning and go get the coop in Valentine, along with some chickens.

At dinner time, everyone was enjoying their meal. Mr. Pearson left some uncooked meat for the pups to eat. They loved to play tug-of-war with a leg or a wing.

The only person not enjoying dinner time was Kieran. He was still tied up and hungry. And like last time, Sadie was tormenting him. This time she was eating in front of him and whatever food was left, she put the plate down and let pups eat it. She then said:

"I hope you die soon, O'Driscoll."

She then walked away. I felt really bad for him. He didn't deserve this. So I grabbed another helping of food and brought it to him. When he looked at me, he asked me:

"Are you going to torment me now too? It's bad enough being tied to a tree. I've been standing for hours without rest."

"No. I'm not here to torment you and I'm truly sorry that you are going through all this. But I assure you, you are far safer now than you would be. Now please, open your mouth and take in every bite."

Fortunately, the food was soft enough so that Kieran wouldn't have a difficult time swallowing and I could put the food on a fork so I wouldn't have to use my fingers. He opened his mouth and I gave him the food. I could see that he was feeling better after a few bites. Hopefully within the next day or two, we will be able to have him untied and he could have free roam of the camp. After feeding him every scrap that was on the plate, I said:

"Don't worry, partner. Hopefully in a day or two, we will be able to get you to lay down on an actual bed and you won't have to stand anymore."

"Thank you kindly sir. "

After I fed him, I brought the plate back to Mr. Pearson. I then headed over to my tent when I was pulled to the side by Sadie. She had a real nasty look in her eyes. She said to me:

"What the hell are you doing feeding that son of a bitch?"

"I'm trying to keep him alive."

"Why? He's an O'Driscoll. He and all his kind deserve to be slaughtered and killed."

"'His kind?' You make it sound as if Kieran was some kind of animal or someone beneath you. And you're better than that Sadie."

"He's an O'Driscoll. He's a member of the gang that murdered my husband and took away everything from me that mattered."

"Did you see him do it? Or hear his voice?"

"No. But he's still guilty by association."

"Then I guess you'd be guilty of our crimes just because you're associated with our gang."

"But I'm not. Not officially anyway."

"But you still think Kieran deserves to die just because he was a member of the O'Driscoll gang."

"Yes."

"Sadie, Kieran didn't have a choice when he was made a member. He was only a child and the only reason they kept him around was because he knew how take care of horses. It was either join the gang or be killed. No kid is ever going to choose death. What if it was little Jack there? Do you honestly think that he would want to die if he was in Kieran's position?"

The more I talked to her, the more it sunk in. I continued:

"Think of your husband? Do you think he would want you to kill every single person associated with the gang even though some of them had nothing to do with it? Do you think that he wants to see the love of his life murder someone in cold blood?"

"No. I don't think he would."

"You don't want to give Kieran a reason to try and kill us. Compassion can be more powerful than vengeance. I will help you avenge Jake. But only on the ones who truly deserve it."

She had tears in her eyes, and she hugged me. I don't think anyone really spoke to her about her feelings of hate for everything she lost and the fact that she was unable to do anything to save her husband. So I think she was realizing that she now had people willing to listen and help her. After crying for a few minutes, she looked at me and said:

"Thank you, Thomas. Thank you for listening and being willing to help me. Both on how to get past this and avenging my husband."

"I'm happy to help, Sadie."

"I'm just curious but how do you know about these feelings?"

I wanted to tell her that I know what it's like to want to kill someone who took away people who mattered to you. I wanted to tell her that I wanted to kill Micah more than anything because I wanted to save the lives of everyone in the gang. But I couldn't tell her about Micah, so I said to her:

"Because I have seen what anger and vengeance does to those who don't know how to control it. I'm on the hunt for someone who took the ones I love away from me too. And when the time comes, I will do it with my own bare hands. But until then, I will focus on protecting the people that matter to me. And that includes you Sadie."

"Thank you again, Thomas."

"I'm not saying that you can't carry out your vengeance on the O'Driscoll gang but just make sure that the ones you kill are the ones who truly deserve it. And besides, Kieran may help you get past this."

"How?"

"The only pieces of your old life you have is the photograph of you and Jake, and the horse that you both rode on. Kieran is great at taking care of horses. Maybe he can help you take care of yours. What do you say? "

"You've given me a lot to think about. But I will definitely take it into consideration."

"I'm very happy to hear that. And Sadie, you can always talk to me or anyone here in the gang about anything that's bothering you. Like Arthur told you "We may be a bad men, but we're not the O'Driscolls." And you can leave it anytime if you want. You're always welcome here. "

He smiled and hugged me. She then went to join the rest of the gang and sat next to the fire. One of the pups, I believe it was Princess, nuzzled her. She picked her up and started playing with her.

I wondered if I did the right thing by trying to help her move past this. Because before she had met me, she would have proved a valuable ally to John and Charles when they hunted Micah. But because I had planned to kill him sooner than he was supposed to die, I didn't want to see her become a vengeful monster. Regardless, I was going to help her in avenging her love.

That night, I laid in bed with Mary-Beth in my arms. I was thinking to myself what I could do you next. Because in the coming weeks, I was getting closer to Micah being imprisoned and I would have the perfect opportunity to be rid of him once and for all. The only question, was how was I going to do it?


	15. Chapter 15

June 2, 1899

Horseshoe Overlook, New Hanover

Two weeks have past since we arrived here and since I spoke with Thomas Downes. It's been almost a month since I found the pups and brought them to the gang. And quite a few things have happened.

First, the wolf pups are 8 weeks old. They're becoming more independent but still require attention. They are still loved by everyone here and they still avoid Micah. We've been training them. But because of my experience with dogs back home, I'm the one who does most of their training. They already know how to come when I whistle, sit, lay down, wait and fetch. Soon, they'll be old enough to join us whenever we go hunting.

For the last two weeks, we've avoided bringing a lot of people into Valentine. We didn't want to draw any attention to ourselves. But a lot of the members are getting a bad case of cabin fever. Especially the ladies. Because most of the men have left the camp to go hunting or trying to bring back some money. I think the only lady who doesn't mind being here all the time is Mrs. Grimshaw. But I think that's because she knows that the place would fall apart if she wasn't there.

So when Arthur, Uncle and I planned to go into Valentine today, all the ladies wanted to come with us. And I do mean all of them. Mary-Beth, Karen, Tilly, Jenny, and even Molly. Abigail and Sadie were invited to come with us, but Abigail didn't want to leave Jack behind. And Sadie wasn't still feeling up for socializing yet.

I have to give Abigail credit for always thinking of her son. But she needs to take a little time off for herself. And besides, it'll give Jack time to spend time with his father. So I went to go speak with her. I found her in her tent, with little Jack taking a nap on his bed. I gestured for her to come over. She quietly nodded and walked out. Once she was out, I said to her:

"Abigail, you are one hell of a mom and Jack is very lucky to have you as his mother."

"Thanks Thomas. But why do I feel a "but" coming in?"

"Because you're no fool. But you also need to take care of yourself. You can't always be there for him 24/7."

"Jack needs me. I'm the only one who can take care of him."

"You're not alone in raising him, Abigail. You're not a single parent living by yourselves. Jack has his father. Plus lots of aunts and uncles here that would gladly take a bullet for him. Trust me, he's in very safe hands here."

"I know. But he's my whole world. And I can't bear the thought of anything happening to him."

"I know. But Jack is loved by so many people here. Plus he had Ace. Ace may not be a full-grown wolf yet but he's already very protective of him. I've been training him. He won't let anything happen to Jack."

"Well, that makes me feel better. But why do you want me to take time away from him, Thomas?"

"Because you haven't left his side ever since Blackwater. You deserve a little time for yourself. Plus, you're no good to him if you're not at 100%. And besides, this'll give Jack time to spend with his father. John and Jack need to spend some time together as father and son. Maybe John will start to read more books for Jack."

"You make a good point, Thomas."

"Plus, while we're out, I'll give you money so you can buy yourself something that you would want. Like maybe some new clothes or something for Jack."

She thought about it long and hard. She then smiled, looked at me and said:

"You've convinced me, Thomas. I will go to town with all of you."

"I'm very glad to hear that, Abigail. Now come on. Let's get you in the wagon with the others. "

Sadie was a little easier to convince. I told her that if she came with us, I'd buy her a harmonica. That was something she loved to do, and it reminded her of the life she had with Jake. She agreed to join us.

So all the ladies except Susan got on the wagon. There was only room for two people at the front of the wagon. So I decided that I would ride on Winter while Arthur and Uncle drove the wagon. But before we went anywhere, Mary-Beth got off the wagon and ran towards me. She then said to me:

"I've changed my mind. I want to ride with you."

"Are you sure? It's probably not as comfortable as riding in the wagon."

"I'm sure. Winter is my horse as well and I want to know what she's like. And besides, it gives me another reason to be with you."

She was blushing. Her cheeks were as red as fresh strawberries in a spring garden. I got off Winter and helped Mary-Beth get on. I then got on but behind Mary-Beth. She asked me why I wasn't riding in front of her. I told her:

"You said Winter is your horse. So I figured you might want to try riding on her."

"But what if I fall?"

"Then I'll catch. You forget, I did this with Molly back in Blackwater, remember?"

"Oh right."

"Trust me, my love. I won't let you fall. And if you want, I'll hold onto the reins with you."

"Thanks Thomas."

She kissed me and I could hear the other ladies giggling. I said to them:

"Don't you ladies have to go put your face on or something?"

They stopped looking at us but were still giggling. As everyone else was seated, Arthur said that we were all ready to go. He gave the reins a crack and horses started walking. I told Mary-Beth to give Winter a gentle kick to get her going. Sure enough, Winter started walking alongside the wagon. After we left camp, Uncle asked if the girls would sing a song. All of them started singing the song "I got a gal in Valentine". Anyone who didn't know it just hummed to the beat. Of course, some of the lyrics got mixed up but it still put a smile on my face.

Mary-Beth was very good at taking control of Winter. Honestly, it made me wonder why she didn't ride more often. But then I remembered one thing nobody likes to get from riding on horses…. saddle sores.

But halfway to Valentine, some poor man's wagon broke and his horses broke free. Uncle said he couldn't do it because of his "lumbago" (excuses excuses). So it was up to Arthur and me to get the horses back. I got off of Winter and Arthur got off the wagon. We both went after the horses and returned them to their owner. He thanked us and we continued our way. The girls were proud of us for helping the man. Although Arthur said that if the ladies weren't with us, he probably would have robbed him, but I doubt he seriously would.

Once we reached the town, the ladies started talking about the smells and how it looked like a decent little town. One of the ladies asked if the smell was coming from the sheep or from Uncle. He just laughed it off. Mary-Beth, Karen and Tilly were really happy that Molly, Sadie, Jenny and Abigail came with them.

Speaking of Jenny, I've neglected to mention her in past because I'm still not used to having another member of the gang still alive when she was originally dead at the beginning of the game. Well, Jenny is a young Scottish girl about 18 years old. She has red hair, a cute button nose and blue eyes. She's an average looking girl but apparently, she and Lenny are very attracted to each other. Unfortunately, the poor girl has also caught Micah's attention. It was said in the original game that she had slept with him. But wether that was her choice, or he forced himself on her is unknown. I'm inclined to think that it was the latter as no woman in their right mind would want to be near that freak. So I try to keep her close to Lenny.

Once we reached the town, Uncle suggested that either I or Arthur could make some good money by collecting bounties. He's not wrong. You make a lot of good money doing that and I always love slapping bounties when they won't stop talking. Of course, he was never going to put himself in that situation. But that's fine. Uncle may be useless in a lot of other things but at least he's there for the gang.

Karen said that the girls could get into some real mischief here in this town. Arthur reminded the girls that they had to keep a low profile while they were in town. Tilly had asked if we were going to do that. I said I would try, but Arthur said he probably won't. But at least he tries. And that's what counts.

And when we got towards the stables, I realized something. I didn't see Thomas Downes near the corner of the building that was built like he was in the game. There was still someone there, but it wasn't him. It means that either he and his family left or there's staying away from people until things get better. I'm glad that part of the plan worked.

Once we reached the stables, everyone got off the wagon. I hitched Winter and helped Mary-Beth down. Arthur asked Uncle what we should do now. He replied:

"Well, we're gonna do what any self-respecting maniac does…. put the women to work."

Karen laughed and said it would be their pleasure. She also said that they will start at the saloon. Arthur reminded the girls that they have to keep a low profile and to not cause any trouble. Karen, Tilly and Mary-Beth headed for the saloon. Uncle said that he had to pick up a few things at the general store. I followed him along with Arthur and the rest of the ladies.

Once we entered the store, Arthur and Uncle went looking around for their own things. I looked around for things that the ladies would like. Dutch probably wouldn't appreciate me spending a lot of money on the ladies, but he would also want us to be happy. Plus I'll be buy him a smoke-pipe.

So the things I bought for the gang were:

A harmonica for Sadie

A mirror for Molly

A thimble and a dress for Abigail

A knife for Tilly

A bottle of lavender perfume for Karen

A comb for Jenny

A bouquet of flowers for Mary-Beth

And a new smoke pipe for Dutch

I decided that I would come back another time to get more things for the rest of the gang. After I finished my shopping, I left the store and joined Arthur and Uncle. We sat by the general store and waited for the ladies. All three of us dozed off for a while but we were awoken by Mary-Beth.

She said she snuck into a fancy house, pretending that she was a servant girl. She overheard a conversation about a train from New York that was going to be passing by on its way to Saint Denis. A train full of rich passengers and luggage. And the train would be passing through nearby Valentine at night. In a place called Scarlett Meadows to be precise. A chance for us to earn more money. I said to her:

"Good work, honey."

She blushed and I gave her the bouquet. She loved the flowers and kissed me. Arthur and Uncle chuckled and then Arthur asked where the others were. Mary-Beth said that they were at the hotel and planned to rob some drunken fools they picked up at the saloon. As for the other ladies, they were at the saloon and enjoying themselves. They were just talking, drinking and just having a good time. Charles and Javier were there as well.

But when we looked in the direction of the hotel, we saw Tilly being pulled by an angry looking black man. I told Arthur to go get the other ladies while I took care of this and checked on Karen.

I walked towards the side of the hotel and I could hear Tilly saying:

"Get your hands off me!"

"You thought I wouldn't find you, Tilly?"

"You can go kiss a damn snake for all I care! Get off me!"

I heard someone say that the man that was attacking Tilly was one of the Foreman boys. Well now it was time for me to intervene. So I said to him:

"Hands off the lady. While you've still got hands."

"Who are you?"

"A friend of hers. Now beat it."

"Or what?"

"I'm very glad you asked."

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him towards me. I then slammed his back against the wall and when his hand was exposed, I grabbed my knife and stabbed him in the palm of his hand. Before he could scream, I put my hand over his mouth. I then looked him in the eye and said:

"From this moment on, you and the rest of the Foreman Boys are going to stay away from Tilly Jackson. She is off limits to you and the rest of your gang. If I see you or anyone else associated with you so much as looking at Tilly, I'm going to come over and pay you all a visit. And believe me, it won't be a pleasant one for you. Do I make myself clear?"

He nodded. I wasn't finished.

"Swear it."

I removed my hand from his mouth, and he said to me:

"I swear. We won't bother her ever again. You have my word, sir."

"Good."

I removed the knife from his palm. He grabbed his hand and before he could run away, I punched him so hard that he went unconscious.

"Are you all right, Tilly?"

"Yeah. Thanks Thomas."

"My pleasure. Here. This is for you."

I gave her the knife I bought her. I told her to use it only for defend herself or others. I didn't want her to use it to kill other people unless there was no other choice. She nodded and put the knife in her dress. I then told her to go back to the wagon with Uncle and the other ladies while I go checked on Karen.

While Tilly was heading for the wagon, I went inside the hotel. I was greeted by the hotel manager. He asked me if he could help me with anything. I replied:

"I'm looking for a friend of mine. A beautiful blonde-haired woman in her mid-20s. Recently walked in here."

"Oh yes. She's upstairs on the second floor."

We heard some commotion going on upstairs. I walked up the stairs. I heard the manager asking:

"No trouble now, please?"

I didn't respond because I knew there was going to be trouble. But I wouldn't be the one to cause it. I could hear Karen saying:

"Get off of me!"

I heard a man's voice saying:

"I'm getting what I paid for!"

As soon as I heard that, I rushed to the door and kicked it open. I then shouted:

"Hey! You hit the lady again and I'm going to hit you so hard it'll make your ancestors dizzy."

"Who are you?"

"A friend of hers."

"Get outta here, buddy! I paid!"

"For hitting the lady, you're now about to pay in blood. GET OVER HERE!"

The bastard charged at me at full speed. When he grabbed my chest, I raised my arms, put my fists together and brought them down on his head. I then brought my balled fists up towards his chin and hit him so hard that he landed on his back. And then I pistol-whipped him.

After he was knocked out, I asked Karen if she was all right. She said she was. The son of a bitch only punched her. She was telling me how the bastard kept talking about the bank in town, said that there's a lot of cash in the safes. I told her that she could keep investing provided that she was safe. I also told her that Sean would kill me if anything happened to her. She blushed and was very thankful when I gave her the perfume. I think she was blushing because she could see the relationship between her and Sean. Or maybe because of the perfume. Either way, she had a smile on her face and was looking better. I took her downstairs. I then told the manager that the man upstairs was knocked out but still alive. And I explain to him what happened. At least as far as him assaulting my friend. He apologized for what had happened to her and was thankful that no one was dead.

After we left the hotel, Karen was greeted by the other ladies. They were all concerned about the mark on her face. She told them that she was fine and then I hit the man even harder. I then gave the girls the gifts I bought for them. They were all very happy with what I got them. I gave Molly the pipe so that she could give it to Dutch. I think he would appreciate it more if he got it from her.

But after I showed them the gifts, Mary-Beth pointed out that there was a gentleman in the distance looking at us. I completely forgot about this. Someone had recognized us from Blackwater.

I felt like I was in a video game again. Because now I had to make a choice. I could either go after him myself or let Arthur go after him and I stay with the girls. I decided that I would put my faith in Arthur. I trusted that Arthur would do the right thing. As he ran, he jumped on another man's horse. He shouted:

"I'm just borrowing it!"

I went towards the man whose horse Arthur was borrowing. I told him not to worry and that Arthur would return it safely. I told him to wait a few minutes and he would get his horse back.

Meanwhile, I suggested to Uncle that the girls needed to get back to camp before we drew more attention to ourselves. He agreed and led the ladies to the wagon. All the ladies were accounted for. Except for one. Sadie was still at the bar. I told Uncle that I would give her a ride back and that he should get everyone else back. He agreed and gave the reins a crack. Mary-Beth was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to ride Winter back to camp, but she understood. And I told her that I would take her out riding again in the near future. I watched the wagon leaving town and I headed back into the saloon.

Sadie was still having a drink at the bar. The poor thing. After everything she's been through, it's no wonder she's been needing one. I told her to have one last drink on me and that when she was done, I would give her a ride back to the others. I also gave her the harmonica I got her. She thanked me for everything. For talking her into coming to town, for the harmonica, and for the ride back. I told her it was no trouble at all.

I then went to go check on Javier and Charles. The two of them were talking to your two lovely ladies. I remembered them from the game. And just like the game, they said the same thing to me that they would have said to Arthur. The one named Anastasia said:

"Well, ain't you just the tough as teak mountain man?"

"Oh, you be quiet Anastasia. Anyone can tell that this one is a pussy cat."

I responded:

"Well looks can be deceiving, ladies. But that's always open to interpretation."

"We've got ourselves a smart guy here, Isabelle. Why don't you show us what kind of man you really are yourself, handsome? "

"I appreciate the offer ladies, but I'm spoken for."

"I don't see no wedding ring on you. Besides, it can always be our little secret."

"Once again, I appreciate the offer, but I won't betray her."

"Oh, you're no fun. Come on Isabelle. Let's go see if we can find some other men who know how to have a good time."

"You ladies have a good day now."

As they were leaving, Javier gave me a look and said to me:

"You sure have a way with the ladies, amigo. But who has already spoken for you? You mean Mary-Beth?"

I nodded. Charles patted my shoulder and said:

"You're a very lucky man, Thomas. I've seen the way you both look at each other. She's perfect for you."

"Charles is right, Thomas. Just make sure you do nothing to hurt her, otherwise you'll have to answer to both of us. I just wish I had that kind of luck with the ladies."

"Thanks guys. And don't worry, there's someone out there for you. Either she'll find you or you'll find her. Speaking of finding, has anyone seen Bill? "

"Oh man. I dread to think about it."

As soon as Javier said that, Bill came through the saloon doors.

"Hey, hey, hey. There he is. "

On his way towards us, Bill accidentally bumped into someone. I heard him say:

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

He grabbed the man who bumped him. Charles asked:

"He about to kiss that guy or punch him?"

Right after Charles asked that, Bill punched the man into a nearby table. Javier enthusiastically said:

"And we have our answer!"

 _This is where the fun begins._

"Come on, boys! Let's get em!"

That one punch led to a bar room brawl. I have never been in one my whole life, but I've always wanted to try it. With all this pent-up aggression towards a certain person, I've been needing to let it out. And it looks like I wasn't the only one. Sadie joined in and believe me; you do not want to mess with her. She grabbed an empty bottle of beer and smashed it against someone's head.

Javier was using his smaller size to his advantage by dodging punches from bigger men. Charles was using his strength to throw punches and men into walls. Bill used his head for once and actually head butted a man's nose. Not exactly what I had in mind, but not bad. Someone grabbed me from behind and tried to pin me down. But I kept slamming him against a wall until he let me go. I then turned around and punched him. And to my surprise and delight, Arthur had returned and was joining in. It was basically a free-for-all.

"What the hell is going on down here?!"

And then came one of the biggest men I've ever seen in my life. His name was Tommy and he was a mountain of muscle. He looked bigger than Bill. I heard one man say:

"No Tommy! Stay outta this!"

I'm guessing that was a friend of his. And I don't know if he didn't want him to get involved because he would do too much damage or because he didn't want him to get hurt. But regardless, Tommy looked like he was itching for a fight. He had sights on Javier and said:

"Come here, you little greaser!"

Oh, he had gone and done it now. Javier absolutely despises being called that. Javier wasn't backing down, but it was obvious it was a one-sided fight. But fortunately, Javier had friends. Any of us who didn't have their hands full with some other fool, jumped to his side to help him. And as big as Tommy was, he couldn't take on so many people at once. He almost matched Charles in strength but couldn't take him on as well with Bill and Arthur at his side. I gave the bastard a few good punches too. And luckily this time, we were able to keep the fight inside the saloon. And because Tommy didn't get a chance to call Arthur "pretty boy" this time, he didn't lose his temper and almost killed him.

After the fight was over, we walked out of the saloon battered and bruised but everybody was still alive. Anyone who didn't have any fight in them either walked away or was unconscious. Sadie got her knuckles bloody but nothing too serious. As we left, I heard a voice say:

"Making new friends again, I see, Arthur!"

We turned around and saw a gentleman in a very fancy suit. He had the look of an aristocrat. I recognized him as Josiah Trelawny. He was accompanied with Dutch. He bowed before us like he was greeting old friends. Of course, I haven't met him before so it would be my first time meeting him. So Dutch thought now was as good a time as any for us to get acquainted. I held my hand and we shook hands.

"A pleasure to meet you, Josiah."

"To you as well, Thomas. Dutch has told me all about you. All that you've done for the gang in the short time you've been with us. Capital job, old boy."

"Thank you, kindly sir."

He then noticed Sadie and introduced himself to her. And after seeing all the other gang members, Josiah told us where had been and what was going on in Blackwater. Josiah had left a few days before I arrived in this world. Rumor had it that he was going to go back to New York, but he changed his mind. I dodged a bullet there because then he would know something was strange about me because I didn't wear any clothing that they wear in New York. At least not in this timeline. He told us that he had returned to Blackwater a week after the steamboat robbery. And because he doesn't really partake in the robberies with the rest of the gang, he could blend in with the locals perfectly.

Apparently, people in Blackwater are still talking about the robbery. Not just because of how much was stolen but that not single person was killed during the robbery. The Van Der Linde Gang was starting to gain a reputation as a gang that tried to avoid bloodshed as much as possible. That put a smile on my face. It meant that people would not think so negatively of the gang. But because of how much was stolen and the fact that a large number of Pinkertons and bounty hunters were killed trying to apprehend us, we weren't exactly still welcome in Blackwater. Not unless we wanted to turn ourselves in.

And because I was relatively new to the gang, no recognized my face or my voice, so I could always go back if I wanted to learn more. And since Sean wasn't captured this time by the Pinkertons, there was no need for Javier to go to Blackwater and look for him. But I would have to do some work in Blackwater and make sure that the gang got a better reputation. After Josiah told us everything, Dutch told us all to head back to camp. I gave Sadie a ride back to camp. On the way back, she said to me:

"Thanks again, Thomas. For the harmonica and for inviting me to come along. And that bar fight really helped me get my aggression out. I've been holding it in for so long and I needed to let it out."

"Happy to help, Sadie. Just remind me to never get on your bad side."

"You'd have to try really hard to get on my bad side after everything you've done."

After we arrived back at camp, Dutch walked to his tent and to his surprise and delight, Molly had a new smoke pipe for him. He had a big smile on his face and her hugged and kissed Molly. She was positively glowing with happiness.

While we were gone, John and Jack had a good time together. John played with him all day and was even starting to do more reading. So that he could read Jack bedtime stories, which is what he was doing when we got back to camp. Jack was sound asleep, laying on his father's lap, with Ace laying his head on Jack's lap. Abigail was watching from a distance, smiling and wearing the new dress she got. Sean had been tending to Karen ever since she got back. Karen insisted that she was fine and didn't need any looking after, but Sean wouldn't take no for an answer. He had noticed her new perfume and said that she smelled lovely. Tilly was doing all right after what happened, but Javier went to check on her anyway. I think he likes her.

Sadie sat near the campfire and was playing the new harmonica she had. Uncle and Swanson were already sleeping when we got back. But after the fight we had, almost everyone who had participated was feeling exhausted and went to bed early. I know I was feeling tired, not to mention beat up. Mary-Beth tended to my bruises with dabs of alcohol. She wasn't happy that I was a part of the bar fight but was glad that I was all right.

The only people from our gang that was missing was Lenny and Micah. They had gone to check out Strawberry. Jenny was waiting near the entrance, in hopes of seeing Lenny first.

As I was about to lay with Mary-Beth and White Fang and go to sleep, we heard hoofbeats approaching the camp. I got out of the tent and headed for the camp entrance. Accompanying me was Arthur and John. Jenny was still waiting for Lenny. And fortunately for all of us, it was only Lenny. As soon as he got off his horse, he ran straight to Dutch and told us what happened.

Micah has been arrested by the sheriff in Strawberry for murder. They nearly lynched Lenny and the sheriff and his deputies plan to have Micah hanged for his crimes.

 _Best news I've heard since I got here._

Dutch ordered Arthur to take Lenny for a drink to help him relax after his ordeal. Once that was done, he wanted Arthur to free Micah. Of course, Arthur wasn't happy about that but was convinced to do it.

This is where I intervened. I told Dutch that I would take care of it while Arthur would go and take care of Lenny. Dutch asked me why I would do this for Micah. I told him that it's because I'm still relatively new to the gang and so I can blend in easier. And while I may not like this son of a bitch, in fact I downright despise him, he's still good with a gun. But after this, he would owe me big time. Dutch agreed and thanked me for volunteering. Meanwhile, Lenny and Jenny were having a special moment together. They were really happy together.

So I went back into the tent with Mary-Beth and told her what happened. She told me that she secretly hoped that I would make it too late in order for me to save him. I told her that I hoped for the same thing. Since the son of a bitch had actually tried to make moves on her before I arrived in the gang. Of course, I had no intention of letting him live. But I would save that for my next journal entry.


	16. Chapter 16

June 3rd, 1899

Horseshoe Overlook, New Hanover

The day I had waited for ever since I got here, had finally arrived. The day I get to put an end to Micah Bell once and for all. And I wasn't going to let him slip through my fingers.

Dutch has always said that revenge was a luxury we couldn't afford. But this wasn't just about revenge. This was about protecting everyone from Micah's treachery. It was about making sure that no more innocent lives would needlessly be destroyed because of him. And it was about making sure that Dutch didn't succumb to his evil actions.

After I got the news from Lenny last night, I told Mary-Beth about it. She told me that she hoped that I would arrive too late to save him. And I told her I hoped for the same thing. But I knew that he would still be alive by the time I got there. The only thing she and everyone else from the camp didn't know, was that he would not return back to the camp alive. So after we agreed on what we hoped for, we went to bed.

The next morning, I did my usual thing. Had some breakfast, had a cup of coffee and did some chores around the camp. And I spent some time training the wolves. I really wanted to bring them with me for what I had in store for Micah, but with what I had planned, I didn't want them to get used to eating humans. I just told the wolves what I usually tell them, to stay near the camp and protect the pack.

I kissed Mary-Beth and told her that I would come back to her alive and well. I headed for Winter. I was going to need my fastest horse for this mission. Of course, I wasn't going to try to get to Micah fast. I'll need Winter for when I get him out.

As I left the camp and headed for Strawberry, I started to think about everything that I've been through and how it was leading up to this. Ever since I entered this world, I've been patiently waiting for this moment. The moment that I would finally put an end to the sewer rat once and for all.

But I also began to think of everything that I've done ever since I got here. I wondered when or if I would ever get back to the life I had before all of this. Would it all be like a long dream? How long would I have been gone for? Would anything that I learned here be carried back with me once I got back home? And would I go back home after I completed this?

But I decided to push those thoughts aside, and just live for the moment. I didn't make Winter run to Strawberry. I had her trot. I was in no hurry to get there. I took in the sights of the forests and the rivers I was passing by on my way. It was all so beautiful. Just seeing nature at its true beauty. Untouched by man. Where I come from, that's not something you see every day.

By noon, I made it to Strawberry. A nice beautiful and quiet town. It was actually bigger than Valentine. It's actually not a bad place to live in. The last time I was here, was when I took Leopold to meet his long-lost sister and her son here.

If I could have lived in any of the settlements in the game, it would have been Strawberry. I don't know why, but I just really connected with the town. Maybe it's because it was like being in one with nature as well as civilization living together in harmony. But I'm getting off track here.

I remembered what happened when I had to play as Arthur, and he had to bust Micah out of jail in the game. First, the sheriff, Hanley, wasn't letting Micah out of the cell unless it was with the intention of hanging him. And when Arthur told him that he was a bounty hunter from Blackwater, he still refused to hand him over. Second, regardless of whatever method Arthur had to use to break Micah out of jail, it would result in a lot of people being killed. And Micah would run into a house to get his revolvers back. The man he murdered was someone who used to be associated with him in the past but has been trying to leave an honest life ever since. He was even married, and they had a son. And Micah murdered him and his wife for taking his guns.

I was hoping that my plan wasn't going to result in another shootout, but I still wanted to prevent as much loss of life as possible. I doubted that I would be able to do it, but I had to try.

So first, I went to the home of Micah's former associate, Norman and his wife, Maddy. I approached the door and knocked on the door. It was Norman. I said to him:

"Are you Norman?"

"Yes. Who wants to know?"

"I'm sorry to bother you sir. My name is Thomas White and we are both unfortunate to know Micah Bell."

"What about him? The bastard has been locked up where he belongs."

"Yes sir. And they're talking about hanging him."

"Good. I hope that bastard pisses himself as he's hanging from the gallows."

"Believe me, I would love nothing more than to see that."

"So why are you here? I hope you're not planning to free him."

"Unfortunately, I am. But I have a good reason why I don't want to see him hang right now."

"And why's that?"

"Because the noose is too good for a sewer rat like him. The fucker will die. But it will be by my own bare hands. If he hangs, I won't get a confession out of him before he dies. And there's always a chance someone loyal to him will try to rescue him. I can't take that chance."

"I see. You want the honor of killing him yourself

"Something like that."

"But why are you here to see me?"

I hesitated a little. But I told him that I had a vision of what would happen if I wasn't the one to help him escape. About how Micah would kill innocent people and that he would kill Norman and his wife just because he had his pistols. I also told him that Micah would continue to get people killed if I didn't do anything to stop him.

When I told him all of this, he asked me how he could help. I told him that I would need the pistols back. At least for a while. Because if I had them, then Micah wouldn't have a reason to kill Norman and his wife. I still expected Micah to come here anyway, so I told Norman that he needed to lock all the doors and hide in the basement and be armed. At least for the night.

Norman agreed and gave me the pistols. I hated holding them. I hated anything that belonged to Micah. Except his horse. Once this was over, I would set him free or give him a better owner. And that would be my next stop after dealing with this. I thanked Norman for his help, and I hoped that our paths would cross again. He thanked me for the information and that he wouldn't forget this kindness. The last thing he said to me before I left was:

"Make sure the bastard suffers."

"You can count on that."

I headed for the stables. I figured if Micah had been arrested, then someone would be holding on to his horse. Sure enough, I was right. Baylock was being looked after by the stable boy. He seemed happier here. I didn't want to take him away from here. But I would need him. At least until I finished Micah.

So I approached the stable boy. I told him that I needed to borrow the horse he was taking care of. When he asked me why, I told him that I would be escorting a dangerous prisoner back to Blackwater. And I told him that I would return the horse when I was done with him. He looked unconvinced, so I gave him $500 and told him that he could keep the money after I was done with Baylock. He nodded and put on a saddle and reins for the horse. I thanked him for his help and told him that I would take good care of him.

The next part of my plan was to figure how I was going to get Micah out of jail. I knew that the sheriff had no respect for bounty hunters, but I didn't know which plan to go with first. I could steal a uniform from sheriff's office but because it's a small town and the sheriff probably knows everyone in town, he'd know I wasn't from around the area and suspect something.

I could tell him that I had a warrant for Micah's arrest from Blackwater, but I would need to forge a warrant and I didn't know where I could do that. Or if the sheriff would even let me take him because I wasn't a police officer.

Ultimately, I decided that I would go with my second plan. I just had to figure out how to forge a warrant. I decided to try my luck at the post office. I remembered that the mailman, Hector Barlow, was a close associate of Josiah Trelawny. So I hoped that he would be able to help me.

I approached the post office and found Hector standing in the booth. After I checked the place to make sure we were completely alone, I approached him and told him that I was friends with Josiah. At first, he didn't believe me, but when I told him that I was also looking to help "liberate" some precious goods from nearby stagecoaches, that's what got his attention. I asked him if he could help me get a warrant for Micah's arrest and to make sure that it looked like the order came from Blackwater. He said that he would do it for the right amount of money. And that I not tell anyone that he was involved in this. I gave him $50 and it was more than enough.

When asked if I should change my name for this occasion, I told him yes and I could think of one name to use: Erron Black.

When he had to put down the name of the person that was to be arrested, he noticed it was for Micah and asked me why I would want to turn him in. I thought about telling him the truth but decided not to. So instead, I told him that it was all part of the disguise to get him out. And if he asks any questions as to why Micah wasn't alive anymore, I would just tell him that we were ambushed and that he was killed.

When it was all done, I thanked him for his help and headed out. I had everything I needed. I had Micah's guns, Baylock, and a forged arrest warrant. But before I would go help Micah get out of jail, I decided to have some fun. Instead of going straight to the sheriff himself, I decided to head towards the window where Micah was swearing up a storm. I'm just grateful there weren't any children nearby from the things that were coming from his mouth. After I figured he was done yelling, I approached the window and said:

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the biggest bastard this side of the Mississippi. How are you holding up, Micah?"

"Thomas! What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were thrown in jail. I had to come see it for myself."

"Why?"

"One of my least favorite people is in jail. It's the simple things in life that make me smile. I should just watch you piss yourself as they hang you from the gallows. And besides, if you die, I get to keep your guns."

I pulled out one of his revolvers. He asked me where I got them. I told him that I won them in a poker game. He looked so desperate to get his guns back because he was trying to reach for them.

"You can't do that, Thomas! You got to help me!"

"Why? What's in it for me for saving your sorry ass?"

He hesitated for a few seconds and then said to me:

"Because I'm scared. And if you get me out, I promise I will change. Cross my heart and hope to die."

I pretended to think about it. I knew that no matter what he said, it was always going to be a lie. I knew that he would never change. And besides, I've waited too long for this time to come. I said to him:

"I should really just leave you here to be dealt with by the law, but I told Dutch that I would help get you out and I'm a man of my word. Even if it is against my better judgement."

He gave a sigh of relief and thanked me. I told him that I would help get him out, but he had to play along. He had to pretend like he had never met me before. I also told him that I would give him his revolvers back after we got back to camp. And he would have to wait until it started to get dark before we could leave. So I left him for a few hours.

Around 6PM, I returned to the sheriff's office. I knocked on the door. A deputy got the door. I asked him if the sheriff was in. He said yes and took me to him. I shook his hand and said to him:

"Howdy, sheriff. The name is Black. Erron Black."

"Pleasure, Mr. Black. If you don't mind me asking, but what kind of a name is Erron?"

"It's a combination of the name Aaron and Eric. My parents wanted me to have either one of those names, so they combined them."

"I suppose that makes sense. How can I help you?"

"I'm have an arrest warrant for one of your prisoners. Micah Bell III, he's wanted in Blackwater for questioning."

"Are you a bounty hunter? Because I have no love for them."

"No sir. Well, I used to be but I'm hoping to change that."

"How so?"

"I have orders from the Pinkerton Detective Agency to bring him in for questioning. If I bring him in, then they'll allow me to have a job working for the law properly. Besides, if we're able to get him to talk, thePinkertons will be able to capture the rest of the gang."

"I see. So you're hoping that by doing this, you'll be able to get a job working for the law."

"Yes sir."

"May I ask why?"

"My father's stepdad was an officer who died in the line of duty. I want to honor his memory. And besides, the days of West are coming to an end. It needs order in order to survive."

"I like your attitude, son. Tell you what? I'll let you take him on one condition."

"Name it."

"If everything goes well with this, you look me up and I'll see to it you become one of my deputies."

"Thank you kindly, sir. Once everything is done, I'll be sure to either give you a call or come back right away."

"Excellent. I'll have one of my deputies escort you downstairs so you can go get him."

"Thank you kindly, sheriff. Pleasure doing business with you."

I tipped my hat to him and followed one of his deputies down to the jail cells. Turns out that Micah wasn't the only one in jail. He had to share a cell next to an O'Driscoll. As we approached the cell, the O'Driscoll said:

"Hey. Don't I know you?"

I gave him a very cold stare and said:

"No. I would have remembered meeting you if we did. Look at me again and tell me if you're sure I'm the right person you're talking about."

As soon as he saw my cold stare at him, he said:

"No, you're right. My mistake, sir. I mistook you for someone else."

"That's quite all right. Just don't confuse me with other people or it could end you up in trouble."

He nodded his head. I looked at Micah and said:

"So you're Micah Bell. You're uglier in person than you are in your wanted poster."

"And who are you?"

"The name is Erron Black and that's all the information about me you're going to get. Now let's move. I've got a horse all set for you."

The deputy opened the door. Micah of course tried to make it look like he wasn't going to go quietly. That suited me just fine. It gave me another reason to punch him. I then pulled my gun on him told him to behave himself while the deputy put the cuffs around his wrists. He then gave me the keys to the cuffs so that I could remove them once we got to Blackwater.

I escorted Micah upstairs and towards the front door. I thanked the sheriff for his help and told him that I would get back to him once this was all over. Once we were outside, Micah saw that I was able to get his horse back and looked quite happy. Once he was on Baylock, I tied him up with a lasso. That way it looked more convincing that there was no way for him to escape. Especially since that lasso was also connected to my saddle horn.

We left Strawberry and once we were out of range from the town, I told Micah to stop so that I could let him go from the lasso and from the cuffs. Micah rubbed his wrists from the cuffs and asked if he could have his guns. I said he could, and I gave him bullets. He told me that he was worried that I was going to leave him there but was glad that I came through for him. He then asked me if the gang was at the same hideout. I told him that after he was captured, Dutch thought it was a good idea to move the camp somewhere else. I told him that I would take him there.

What Micah didn't know was that I was taking him someplace where no one would ever look to find him. But I'll save that for later.

I took Micah towards the Lemoyne territory. Specifically, to Bayou Nwa, just outside of Saint Denis. It was the perfect location. It's near civilization but still in the wild. And a perfect place for getting rid of rats.

After riding long and hard, we made it. Micah never suspected a thing. The entire ride, he had no idea what was in store for him. When we got to Bluewater Marsh, we dismounted our horses and hitched them near trees. Micah started to look and wondered where everyone else was. I said to him:

"This can't be right. Dutch said that they would be here before I got you out of jail."

"Let's not panic, Thomas. Maybe we got here early."

"I suppose you're right. I guess there's nothing else to do but wait."

I picked up a few twigs and started a fire. I checked my pocket watch and it was 10:00 PM. I figured that I would wait an hour until I took action. Micah and I sat there quietly waiting. We took turns acting as sentries for the gang. I even offered him a few bottles of gin.

Once it was 11:00 PM, I decided it was time to start asking questions. So I asked him:

"So Micah, what were you thrown in jail for this time?"

"I murdered a man who looked at me like I was scum of the earth. And as a bonus, he was a darkie."

"Why is that a bonus?"

"Because they are beneath all of us, Thomas. That's why."

"Interesting way to look at. You ever wonder why no one likes you?"

"People like me."

"Name one."

"Dutch."

"Dutch doesn't like you. Not after that mess you made over in Blackwater."

"It weren't my fault that the bag had a hole in it!"

"I'm pretty sure it is, "partner". Because I helped tie up all those bags and not a single one had a hole in it before I tied it up, otherwise I wouldn't have have done it. I wasn't going to leave a trail for the Pinkertons."

"We all make mistakes. Maybe you didn't check very well."

"Maybe. Or maybe you deliberately put a hole in it to leave a trail."

"Now why on earth would I do a thing like that?"

"I have my suspicions. Namely for a few reasons. One: you never think of anyone but yourself. If the rest of the gang was captured or killed, you could earn a lot of money off of their heads and you would get immunity from the law thanks to your support. Second: you hate the fact that you're not the one in charge and that everyone hates your guts. So what better way to get back at them than to have them all captured or killed? And finally, you're an opportunistic vermin who would sell out his own family if it meant that you got to live to see another day."

"I don't have to take any of this from you! You're wrong! And even if it were true, I wouldn't tell you! As a matter of fact, I think I'm done listening to you!"

He reached for his gun and had it aimed at my head. I stood there calmly and asked:

"I'm not sure that's a wise move. How are you gonna explain my death to the others?"

"I'll tell them that you were killed saving my life. Who knows? I might even enjoy a few nights with Mary-Beth when you're gone."

"White Fang wouldn't let you get near her. And none of the others would let you."

"After I kill you, I'm going to kill your wolves, and no one will ever know because I'm going to take her while she's sleeping."

"And here I thought you couldn't sink any lower."

"Well I wish I could say it was nice knowing you, but it wasn't, Thomas. See you in Hell."

He pulled the trigger and it went off. But after the smoke cleared, he was surprised when there wasn't a hole in my head. He pulled back the hammer and fired again. And like before, nothing happened to me. He pulled out his other gun and fired it. The results were the same.

He had a real look of fear on his face. He realized that no matter how many shots he fired, nothing happened. I said to him:

"My turn."

I pulled out my revolver and shot him in the leg. He fell to the ground like dead weight. He tried to shoot me again and once again, the results were the same. He shouted:

"Why can't I kill you?! Why won't the goddam guns work?!"

I knelt next to him and asked him:

"You ever heard of blanks? Basically, you're shooting a bullet that doesn't have any lead in it. So all you're shooting is smoke."

I took both of his guns and showed him the blank cartridges. Micah looked absolutely shocked and horrified. I continued.

"How stupid do you think I am? Only a fucking idiot would give a bastard like you a gun with live rounds."

Micah used his other leg to kick me in the stomach and then he tried to run as fast as he could with just one leg. I was in no hurry. He wasn't going to get very far with just one leg. Not to mention he was leaving a trail of blood.

After following his trail for five minutes, I found him slumped against a tree. As soon as he saw me, he got back up and tried to run again. This time, I shot him in the other leg. Now both of his legs were useless. He tried to crawl away, but I easily caught up with him. I turned him over, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and punched him so hard that he was knocked out.

"Got you, you son of a bitch."

I put a lasso around his legs, and I dragged him back to where we were before. I then tied him up to a tree near the bayou. All I had to do now was wait. And as I sat there waiting for him to wake up, I kept on thinking of how I was going to deal with him. I knew what I was going to do after I killed him, but I was still debating in my head how I was going to do it. A gun? A knife? Hanging him? There are so many ways to kill someone, but I still didn't know if I could actually do it.

I've killed people before but usually from a distance. And the last person I killed up close was in self defense and I never even looked him in the eyes when he died. This would be the first time I would take someone's life because I chose to. No matter what I decided, Micah was going to die, but the question was would it change me? Would I still be a good person?

As I was thinking about all of this, Micah was waking up. He moaned and his eyes started to open. When he opened his eyes, I said to him:

"The guest of honor has awoken. Sleep well?"

Micah looked around his surroundings. He tried to pull himself free from my lasso around the tree.

"Don't even bother trying. I've triple tied that lasso around the tree. You're not getting out of that."

"I'm a goddamn survivor, you goddamn errand boy!"

"Errand boy? That's the best you can come up with?"

"It don't matter. Once Dutch gets here, he'll set things set straight. He'll take my word over yours!"

"You are really are stupid."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Haven't you figured it out yet? I lied. Dutch didn't move the gang after you were captured. They're still up in Horseshoe Overlook."

"What?!"

"Yep. After you were arrested, Lenny came running back to camp and told us all about it. Dutch wanted Arthur to free you, but I volunteered."

"Why?"

"As I told you before, it's not every day I get to see someone I hate in jail. But the other reasons are because if I didn't volunteer, Arthur would have set you free and you would have killed a lot of people in Strawberry. The other reason was because I wanted you and me to have some alone time."

"Alone time for what?"

"Oh nothing much. Just an opportunity for me to ask you a few questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"Let's start with this one. Are your loyalties to the gang or to yourself? You better tell me the truth. And I'll know if you're lying."

"Why are you even asking me this? Of course, my loyalties are to the gang."

"Wrong answer."

I slammed my foot on one of his legs. I hit the part where the hole went through. He screamed in agony.

"You want to try that again?"

"All right! I confess! I only joined the group because I wanted protection from the law! I don't care about Dutch's plans for the future or about the gang. I wanted to get rich and make a life for myself. I survive only for myself and no one else!"

"I thought so. Now how about the Pinkertons? Do you work for them?"

"No, I don't!"

I could see that he wasn't telling me everything.

"I find that very difficult to believe. You'll have to convince me."

He was looking around instead of answering my question. Last time I slammed my foot on his wound. This time, I'm leaving my boot on his leg. So put pressure on his wounded leg. He screamed again.

"The sooner you answer my questions, the sooner my foot is off your leg!"

"Okay fuck! I don't work for them, but I wanted them to capture or kill Dutch and the others!"

"Why?"

"I figured with Dutch and most of the others dead, I could be in charge of the gang. Or I could collect the bounties off their heads and no longer have to worry about the law."

"So you led that trail because of regardless of whatever happened, you'd still have a victory."

"Yeah. And if we had followed the original plan before, I would have had the perfect opportunity to make a name for myself. The man who killed the leader of the Van Der Linde Gang. The man who brought down one of the biggest gangs in the West. I would have been seen as hero to the world."

"A hero? You're nothing but an opportunistic bastard who lives only for himself. You wouldn't kill Dutch because it was the right thing to do. You would kill him because you wanted all the money from his head and the others. You're a serial rapist and every evil deed you ever did, you did it because you wanted to and because you thought you could get away with it."

"I don't deny what I am. At least I'm not pretending to be something I'm not like the rest of you damn fools. I embrace it and wear it like a badge. I don't pretend to be a good person like you."

I punched him in the face.

"I'm not pretending to be a good person. I am one. I've played a lot of games in my life and I've never met character I hated as much as I hate you, Micah. And that's why this time, I won't let you hurt another innocent person ever again."

"Character? Games? Again? What are you talking about?"

I decided that now was as good a time as any to tell someone that I really wasn't from this world. He could take that secret to his grave. So I told him all about the world I came from. The fact that every single thing in this world were nothing but bits of computer data and were made by hard working people in a game company from my world. I told him everything he did in the game and that it would be years later until he paid for his crimes and that it was John and Dutch who killed him.

After I told him all of this, he looked absolutely horrified at me. Like it made sense why I knew so much. He asked me if all of this was true, then how did I get here. I told him that I didn't know but I was going to be damned if I let history repeat itself.

I kept debating on how this was going to end. I paced myself around the tree. Micah said to me:

"You don't have to do this, Thomas. I swear. I won't tell a soul. Who would even believe me? I'll change my ways. I'll leave the gang and never return."

"Let you go? So you can run to the Pinkertons? I don't think so."

"I won't! I swear! Turn me in to the Pinkertons and I won't tell them anything about this or the gang! I'll plead for insanity! Just turn me in! You're not a killer!"

I wanted to believe him. I've always believed in trying to see the best in people. But I knew that I couldn't believe him. I came here to do a job and I was going to finish it. I pulled out my knife. Micah shouted:

"Don't do that! Please! Take me in or let me go! I won't cause any more trouble! I swear!"

I decided that I was going to take a page from Rorscharch's journal. I put my knife in his chest and aimed for his heart. As I drove the blade into his chest, I said to him:

"Men get arrested. Dogs get put down. And the rats get eaten by the dogs."

Even after I knew that I had killed him, I lost myself in the bloodshed. I stabbed almost a dozen times before I stopped myself. When I gained control of my senses, Micah was nothing but a bloody mess. He had a dozen holes in his chest. I checked his pulse. He had none. Micah Bell was well and truly dead. I had killed him with my own bare hands.

I dropped to my knees and dropped my knife as well. I was still coming to terms with what I had just done. I had no regrets about killing him, but I still felt like I had crossed a line that wouldn't be able to undo. I then decided to push these thoughts out for the time being. I had one last thing to do with him before I could return to camp.

I cut the lasso from his body and it dropped to the ground. I then grabbed his legs and brought him to the edge of the swamp. I grabbed his guns and emptied the blanks. I took the guns and his hat. I then left his body right where it was. I have chosen this spot for a specific reason. It was crawling with alligators. And they'd eat his entire body completely. There would be no trace of him left.

I then approached the horses. Winter was a little spooked to see me covered in blood, but she calmed down. I also grabbed Baylock and attached reins to my saddle horn. As I was about to leave with horses, I heard alligator sounds and saw Micah's body being dragged into the swamp water. I could hear other alligators making noises and I knew they were about to eat him. I turned away and had the horses run. I never looked back.

I took the horses the Elysian Pool. There, the horses could get a drink and I could get all the blood washed off of me. After I cleaned myself off, I got on Baylock and had Winter follow us. I took him back to Strawberry where the stable boy was still working. I gave him back Baylock and I thanked him for letting me borrow the horse. I would return in a few days to tell the sheriff about what happened to Micah. Of course I wouldn't tell him the whole truth, but all he would need to know is that Micah was dead.

By the time I reached camp, the sun was starting to rise. Dutch was up bright and early. When he asked where Micah was, I told him that he didn't make it. And I told him that I had more information to tell him, but it would have to wait until around noon. I had been up all night and I needed to rest for a while. Dutch nodded and said that he would wait to hear the rest of it until I woke up. I thanked him for understanding me and I headed for my tent.

I found Mary-Beth still sleeping with White Fang curled up next to her. I smiled and slid in next to her. I kissed her and told her that I love her and drifted to sleep.

I'll tell what happened after in my next journal entry.


	17. Chapter 17

June 4th, 1899

Horseshoe Overlook, New Hanover

I awoke around noon like I planned to. It was no where the amount of sleep I needed but I needed to give my report to Dutch and the others. When I awoke, I found myself the only one in bed, with White Fang as my sleeping buddy. After I put my clothes on, I walked out of the tent and headed for the campfire.

And because it was around noon, Pearson had a fresh patch of stew made for lunch. And after everything that happened yesterday, I was starving. I ate my bowl of stew quickly and went to get another bowl when I saw everyone staring at me.

"What?"

Dutch answered.

"I'm sorry Thomas, but you said you would tell us what happened when you woke up. And everyone is anxious to hear about it."

"Can I at least finish my brunch first?"

"Brunch?"

"Breakfast and lunch put together. Since I didn't eat this morning, it's my breakfast and my lunch since it's noon."

"Oh now I gotcha. But please, finish your "brunch" and then tell us everything."

"No problem."

So I ate my second bowl quickly. I would have preferred not to practically swallow it all at once, but I knew I had to give my report to the others. After I finished my brunch, I put my dishes away with the rest of the dishes that needed to be washed and asked everyone to gather at the camp table.

After everyone else was gathered at the table, I began my report. I told them that when I reached Strawberry, I had another vision. One in which that Micah would betray the gang and drive Dutch to do evil things and ultimately be captured or killed by the Pinkertons. I told them that I didn't want to believe it, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. When I got to the Sheriff's office, I overheard a drunken Micah telling his plans on what he planned to do once he got out. And even though it wasn't true, I told them that I saw Pinkertons leaving. At least this way, it would have the gang leave the town of Strawberry alone for a while

I told him about how I used a new name to disguise myself and get him out of jail. When asked why I would let him out even after everything I heard, I told them because I wanted to bring him back here so that he would be forced to confess his crimes. I told them that when we left Strawberry, we were ambushed by the O'Driscolls. I told them that because I was holding onto Micah's guns, he was unable to defend himself and was easily killed by them. And since he was dead, I figured I should just leave him there. I told them that I returned Baylock to the stables over there because he looked much happier.

After all of this, a lot people felt like they had to sit down and let it sink in. Especially Dutch, Hosea and Arthur. Since they were the ones who created the gang and they had trusted Micah. I heard Bill say:

"I knew there something about that bastard I didn't like."

I overheard other members saying things about Micah. Like how it all made sense for all of the things he did. After a few minutes, Dutch got up and asked me:

"Are you absolutely sure about what you saw in your vision, Thomas? Nothing was left out?"

"That's everything I told you, Dutch. I wouldn't keep stuff like that from you. And you know my visions are never wrong."

Molly walked up to Dutch and said;

"I can vouch for Thomas, Dutch. I've been trying to tell you for a while that the Pinkertons grabbed me a few weeks ago and tried to make me talk but I didn't say anything."

Dutch had a dumbfounded look on his face and replied:

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Molly?"

"I tried to, but you were either to busy or you didn't feel like listening to me."

He held her close and said:

"I am so sorry that I didn't listen to you, Molly. But thank you for remaining loyal."

"Of course, Dutch. I love you and everyone here."

He kissed her and had a genuine smile on his face. Like the first time in a long while, he's able to feel love again after loosing Annabelle. He looked at me and said:

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that, Thomas. If I had known what that rat was planning to do, I would have left him to rot there before being hung. But I really appreciate you trying to do the right thing and bringing him here to face us for his crimes. You're a good man and you have my eternal gratitude."

"It's no trouble, Dutch. Truth be told, I'm glad I went. Otherwise, we wouldn't have learned the truth until it was too late. And I think that with him gone, it'll be nothing but smooth sailing from now on. And thank you for saying that, Dutch. You can always count on me."

Hosea said:

"I had my suspicions about him since the first time I laid eyes on him. We should never have let that bastard join us. But at least he's been dealt with and the Pinkertons have lost our scent for a while at least. Good work, Thomas."

I was getting compliments and thanks from everyone. And while I enjoyed that, it also pained me that I couldn't really tell anyone what had actually happened. I mean, I knew that I didn't actually lie, but I wanted to be able to tell at least one person what I had actually done. I then decided that there was only one person that I could trust to tell. Mary-Beth. But I would tell her when we went to bed.

So after hearing all of this, the gang decided that a celebration was in order. Not just because Micah was killed, but because he was revealed to be a rat. And with him gone, there wouldn't be any more antagonizing at camp. It felt like everyone could breathe for the first time in a long time.

Dutch said that because we were celebrating the rest of the day, no one would have to do chores for the rest of the day. Everyone was happy to hear that. But because we were having a celebration, that meant we had to get more food. Which meant a few people had to go shopping and/hunting. And that suited me just fine.

I volunteered to go hunting. Arthur, Charles, John and Lenny volunteered to come with me. Javier, Kieran, and Hosea decided to go fishing. Bill and Sean decided that they would be on sentry duty while everyone was away. Uncle and the ladies would head into Valentine and see if they could pick up some more supplies. Dutch would head into Valentine as well to look for Josiah. After all, he's still a member of this gang and loyal to the end. Susan, Simon, Swanson and the others would stay at camp to get everything ready. Jack would go with his mother and the ladies into town. It was about time the boy got to get out of the camp for a while.

As much as I wanted to take the wolves hunting with us, they were still too young. It would be another four weeks until they would be old enough to go with me or anyone else. We all decided that we would meet back at camp around 7 o'clock PM. It gives us all a few hours to get what we need and prepare for everything else. After everyone was getting ready to leave, I told everyone:

"I guess there's nothing left to say except allons-y!"

Everyone looked at me like I had three heads. Dutch asked me:

"What did you say, Thomas? 'Allons-y?'"

"It's French for 'Let's go.'"

"Oh. That's interesting. Well in that case, allons-y everyone!"

It sounded weird hearing that come from Dutch's mouth, but it still put a smile on my face. And secretly, I've always hoped that I would one day meet someone named Alonso. So I could say, "Allons-y Alonso!". But after Dutch said that, we went our separate ways.

My group headed for the Heartlands. And luckily, that wasn't too far from camp. Hosea and his group headed for the Dakota River. Everyone else was either going to Valentine or staying at camp.

My group didn't have much of a difficult time getting fresh game. The Heartlands had plenty of deer and bison. And because I wanted to take the wolves hunting sometime in the near future, I decided to get a few rabbits for them. Of course, finding prey and catching it are two different things. But because we were riding on our horses, chasing them down wasn't a problem. After a lengthy hunt, we returned to camp with our kills. A bison I helped Charles kill, two stags and a doe that Arthur, John and I killed.

Dutch had returned to camp with Josiah. They were the first ones back. I had to admit, it was weird seeing Josiah with the gang. Because he looked so fancy compared to the rest of us, but it was really nice having him with us. He was a really pleasant fellow to talk to. He had even brought a few bottles of wine for the occasion.

Uncle and the ladies were the next ones to return. They had gone to the general store to pick up a few spices, along with fruits and vegetables. They even were able to get some fresh cheese. The ladies seemed to have had a good time. And Jack was just very happy to be out of the camp for a few hours.

Hosea and his group were the last ones to arrive. This didn't surprise me. Catching fish can take a while. Especially when you have a lot of mouths to feed. But fortunately, they were able to catch quite a number of salmon. With all this food, I'd be happy if this kept us all fed for a month. But that's just wishful thinking.

Mr. Pearson had his work cut out for him this time. But with a few extra hands pitching in, it was going by smoothly. Those who weren't helping with dinner were setting the table and just having friendly conversations.

By around 8:00, all the food was prepared and cooked. And if you thought Thanksgiving was day for getting full of food, this was like that times 2. I don't think I've ever eaten and drank so much in one day in my life. Or even drink that much for that matter. But honestly, it was one of the most enjoyable nights I've ever had. After the feast, everyone was dancing to the music from Dutch's phonograph, playing cards (poker or blackjack), or really just anything that was fun.

After all of that, everyone was getting tired, so we decided to call it a night. But before I went into the tent, Dutch, Hosea and Arthur thanked me again for what I did. I smiled and told them that I was happy to help.

As I walked into the tent, I got an unexpected surprise from Mary-Beth. Instead of wearing her usual nightgown, she was wearing a pink and white corset. Plus instead of having her hair in a knot, she was wearing it down. She looked like a saloon girl. My only response was:

"Wow. Mary-Beth…. you look absolutely stunning."

"Thank you, Thomas."

"What's the occasion? And when did you get this?"

"I picked this up today while you were out hunting with the guys. Remember? I went shopping with the girls and they helped me pick this up. And as for the occasion, you saved us all from that chicken-hearted scumbag. You're our hero and more importantly, you're mine."

I smiled and sat next to her. But I remembered that I had to tell her what actually happened. I just hoped that this wouldn't change anything between us. I held her hand and said to her:

"Sweetheart, there's something I've got to tell you. And you're the only person I plan on telling."

"What is It, Thomas?"

"I wasn't being completely honest when I told you all about Micah."

"What do you mean?"

So I told her everything. How I got him out of jail, how I took him to another location instead of back to the camp, and how I murdered him with my own bare hands. I also told her about the conversation Micah, and I had before he tried to kill me. About what he planned to do to her and the gang. After all of this, she asked me:

"But Thomas, why are you so afraid to tell the others what really happened? You stopped an evil man from hurting people you love and care about. Why should it make a difference in how he died?"

"Because I was afraid that if I brought him here before he died, he'd be able to weasel his way out of it. I couldn't take any chances and had to put him down myself. And the fact is, I'm ashamed of myself for letting myself get lost in the bloodlust."

"What's there to be ashamed of?"

"That I continued to stab him even though he was already dead. That I hated him so much that I gave myself up to my darkest desires and killed someone. And I'm afraid that this will change me."

She gently grabbed my head and placed it on her chest. She then said to me:

"You're a good man, Thomas. Everyone is tempted to given to their darkest desires. And while you did, you also knew that you didn't want to change the person you are. The person I know you are. And no matter what, that won't ever change."

"How do you know?"

"Because everything you do and have done has been for the good of the people you love and care about. And remember, if you ever feel like you're going to lose your way, I will be your anchor. Just remember to always remember who you are: a good man and the man I love with all my heart."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. I then said to her:

"Thank you, Mary-Beth. For always being there for me and for reminding me of who I am. I only ask that you not tell anyone about this."

"I won't. But maybe someday, you'll be able to do that yourself. For now, just fall and I will always be there to catch you."

She brought my head closer to hers and she kissed me passionately.

*My next chapter will be all about this moment between me and Mary-Beth*.


	18. Chapter 18

June 5th, 1899

Horseshoe Overlook, New Hanover

Last night was one of the best nights of my life. I mean, I've had sex in the past, but it was always with protection. This was different. I had actually made love with someone who wanted me to show how much I love them and how much she meant to me.

But I suppose all of you just want to know what happened last night. You damn pervs. So I'll get to the details.

So after Mary-Beth kissed me, we began to get very passionate with each other. Our kisses became more passionate and deeper. Eventually, our tongues started to dance in each other's mouths. After kissing each other for a while, I started to undo her laces. Once they were undone, the rest was easy.

Her underdress was much easier to remove and once it was off, we put it on our clothes trunk. Soon enough, both of us were in the nude and we still continued to kiss each other deeply. I can still feel the touch of her skin on my hands. I then started to kiss her neck and left a few playful bites on her neck. Not deep enough to leave marks but enough for her to feel them.

I then worked my way down towards her breasts. And when it came to my favorite parts of sex, this has always been my favorite aside actually doing sex. I started massaging her breasts and then used my tongue on them. She moaned softly and were full of joy and delight.

After doing that for a while, I decided to get to the really best part. I had to admit, I was a little nervous at first. As I said, this was my first-time making love with someone without a condemn but I was also anxious too. But before we could do that, Mary-Beth asked me if I wanted her to do anything for me to make me feel good. I told her it wasn't necessary. I was already feeling good and I just wanted to show her how much I loved her.

So after that, I laid her down on her back and positioned myself above her. I then put myself into her and our bodies became one. And once I that happened, I started to move. I started off slow because I didn't want it to be over too quickly. Mary-Beth put her arms around my neck and brought my face closer to hers so that she could kiss me.

After doing that for about a minute or two, we switched positions. This time, she was the one on top of me. She said to me:

"You've ridden on the saddle long enough, sweetheart. Now it's my turn to show you how a cowgirl rides."

And let me tell you, she's one hell of a cowgirl. The way she rode on me was an experience that I'll never forget. I was also happy that she was just as passionate about it as I was. As she continued, she asked me to touch her breasts and her ass. So I did. And man did she enjoy that.

As she continued, I pulled myself up towards her and kissed her. I held her for about a minute until I placed her back on her back. She was surprised that I took control so quickly but also so well. She's had sex before, but she said that this was the first time she ever actually enjoyed it.

I then had her turn around and decided to take her from the back. I had to honest, I had always wanted to try it but never had the opportunity to do it. So needless to say, I was excited. But after this night, I'd have to try it more often.

As I took her from behind, I grabbed her hair and she let out a moan that was probably louder than she wanted it to be. She covered her mouth as I continued. After about a minute of holding her hair, I decided to move myself closer and held her breasts. She was really happy about that. It made her feel like she was going to reach her peak sooner.

I was about to reach the end of mine as well soon. So I had her lay down on her back and decided to finish it the same way we started it. If I was going to have passionate love with someone, I wanted to look at their eyes and face as I gave her all of my love.

After a few more quick thrusts, we both reached our peaks and climaxed together. I felt so exhausted after that, that I laid on top of her for almost a minute before I pulled myself out of her. But it was all worth it in the end. After that, I laid beside her and held her close as we kissed each other.

"I love you, Mary-Beth."

"And I love you, Thomas."


	19. Chapter 19

June 6th, 1899

Horseshoe Overlook, New Hanover

It started like any other day. Well, that's not entirely true. It was a lot more peaceful now that Micah wasn't bitching and moaning anymore. And I felt lighter than air after my night with Mary-Beth. In fact, I felt like nothing could ruin the day for me. And boy was I wrong about that.

I did my usual morning routine as usual. But because Micah wasn't there anymore and because of the incredible night I had, I was just so happy to do everything. I had a stupid grin on my face throughout the morning. Everyone was noticing just how happy I was looking. Arthur said to me:

"Well look at you, Thomas. You look as if you just found yourself either a lost treasure or just collected a whole lot of cash from a bounty."

"Let's just say that I had some private riding lessons."

He immediately knew what I meant and said:

"I can see that enjoyed your "lesson" from the very lovely Mary-Beth."

"I did."

"Well, good for you, Thomas."

"Thanks Arthur. Before I get back to my routine, I have a question for you."

"Sure. What is it, Thomas?"

"You ever think about Mary? Mary Linton, I mean?

He looked at me stunned. Like he wasn't expecting that. Least of all from me. He asked me:

"How do you know about Mary Linton?"

"I overheard one of the girls talking about her and I was curious. I'm sorry if that's a sore subject."

"It's fine, Thomas. But to answer your question, I do think about her. Not every day but enough for me that I do miss her and what we had."

"Do you think that she would have ever followed you in this life?"

"As an outlaw? No way. She was too honest for this kind of life. She'd never settle for a life on the run from the law."

"You're probably right. But what would you do if something happened to her and she needed help? Like what if she lost her home and everything she owned? What would you do then?"

"I'm not sure, Thomas. Of course I'd help her. But I just don't how I'd be able to do that."

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Thanks for being honest, Arthur."

"No problem, Thomas. And thanks for asking. It feels good to talk about it."

As I continued with my daily routine, I realized that a couple of the gang members weren't around. I noticed that Charles, Lenny, Jenny, Kieran, and Tilly were no where to be seen. So I asked John where they were. He said to me:

"They went into town. Wanted to know if there was anymore work that we could use."

"Any special work in particular that Dutch wants us to do?"

"Nothing really. Just the usual. Rob banks, stagecoaches, trains. Steal livestock and sell them to auctions as our own. Anything really."

Then I remembered that there was one thing that hadn't happened yet. Arthur hadn't taken little Jack fishing yet. And I figured that the Pinkertons wouldn't be around this time since they would still be looking for Micah or any trail, he may have left for them. So I said to John:

"Hey John. Have you ever thought about taking Jack fishing?"

"Actually, no. I hadn't thought about that. You really think he would go for it? And do you think that he'd want me to take him?"

"Why not? I'm sure he'd be happy to get away from the camp for a while. The river's not far and you can always take Ace with you."

John looked like he was still contemplating the decision. So I continued.

"If It makes you feel any better, you can always take Arthur with you as well."

He looked at me like I had 3 eyes on my face. He said to me:

"Why would I want to take Arthur Morgan fishing with me and my son? He's made It very clear that he still has a grudge on me."

"Think of it as an opportunity to start over with your relationship with each other. I'm sure there's something that you two could bond over. If nothing else, do it for Jack. I'm sure he would love to have a fishing trip with his father and uncle. Who knows? Maybe might give you some swimming lessons."

"Oh very funny, Thomas. But you make a very good point. Maybe this is something that Arthur and I can do together. But how can I get Arthur to come with us?"

"Leave that to me. You just go get Jack and Ace. Just give me 10 minutes and you'll be on your way."

"All right. And Thomas? Thank you."

"Happy to help, John."

So I walked over to Arthur and asked him if he would like to go fishing with Jack and John. He wasn't too thrilled at the idea of spending some time with John but when I told him that this was an opportunity for them to start over again, he gave it some thought. He said yes after I told him that he ever needed someone to do him a favor, I told him that I would do it. No matter what it was.

So Arthur headed for his horse, Boudicca, while John and Jack headed towards Old Boy. (Not a name I would choose for a horse but that's just me).

Ace followed them out of the camp when Jack called him. Buck wanted to come as well, so they let him. It was good that the wolf pups were going out more. Soon enough, they'd be old enough to go hunting with us. And not just for animals. I'm training them to be guard dogs, trackers and loyal companions.

The fishing trip didn't go as I would have hoped but I'll explain that after I tell you what happened next.

So throughout the day, I stayed in the camp with everyone else. After everything I've been through, I just wanted to relax and take it easy. And there's nothing more relaxing than playing games and telling stories with the people you love. I mostly played blackjack and poker with the guys while listening to stories from Hosea, Dutch and Pearson. Of course Uncle had a few stories of his own, but they sounded like something out of a dime novel, so I didn't really pay attention to his stories.

I didn't realize it, but at this point, it was the calm before the storm. And things were about to get bad.

Around 3:00 PM, we all heard the sound of heavy hoof beats coming towards the camp. They were coming in so fast that they flew right past Bill and Sean. Since they didn't announce themselves, everyone was getting their weapons ready for whoever it was.

Fortunately, we realized that it was Kieran and Jenny riding on Branwen. He was also accompanied with the horses, Taima, Maggie and Hero. But that's when I realized something was wrong. If Kieran and Jenny were here, then where were the others? Why had only he and Jenny returned with the other horses? And why were they in such a rush to get here? I was about to get my answer and I wasn't going to like it.

Kieran got off of Branwen and was carrying Jenny into her tent. She was unconscious and looked like she had been in a fight. After Kieran laid her in bed, he said that he would tell us what happened after he had something to drink. Mr. Pearson gave him a mug of ale. After washing it down, Kieran told us what happened.

After they had went looking for work in Valentine, Kieran, Jenny, Lenny, Charles and Tilly were heading back to the camp. After about a mile or two from Valentine, they were ambushed. At first, they thought that they were being attacked by O'Driscolls, but soon realized that their attackers were all wearing white. Even their faces were covered. Their attackers were wearing pointed hoods.

I immediately knew who Kieran was talking about. The Ku Klux Klan. Just thinking about those racist mother fuckers was enough to make my blood boil.

Kieran continued. It was obvious that they didn't want to kill them. Otherwise they would have just shot their horses and then shoot them while they were down. No, they wanted to capture them alive. Th shooters from the distance were just to distract them from the bastards who were sneaking up behind them and knock them out.

Lenny and Tilly were easier to take down because they weren't as big as Charles. Charles wrestled with his attackers but even he was overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. Jenny and Kieran tried to save them, but they were also trying to not get shot from the attackers in the woods.

Jenny charged at the men as they were putting Lenny on the back of his horse like he was some dead animal. She charged at them with a knife in her hand and I was suddenly remembering what happened to poor Luisa Fortuna from the first Red Dead Redemption game. Fortunately, she didn't meet the same fate as her. As the cock sucker only backhanded her as she was getting closer to him. They then punched her until she was out like a light. As soon as Kieran saw this, he ran over to get her and carried her away from them. When they tried to grab him, he shot them with his sawed-off shotgun. He placed her on Branwen and shouted at the KKK:

"YOU FUCKERS AREN'T GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS! MARK MY WORDS! WE WILL DESTROY YOU FOR THIS!"

The bastards only laughed and said:

"We'd like to see you try and stop us, traitor!"

They called him a traitor because he wasn't what they thought of as "true Americans". The fact that he was friends with people of different races made him look like a traitor in their eyes. I guess all of us would be considered traitors by those racist pricks. He then told us that he called the other horses to follow him and the rest was history.

Everyone was just in complete and utter shock from everything they've heard. Dutch and Hosea just couldn't believe that members of their gang/family had just been kidnapped by a supreme racist group. For many, Charles was a pillar of strength and wisdom. Lenny was a little brother to many people and Tilly was always a joy to be around.

You know how people should never say "At least things can't get any worse or what else can go wrong"? Well you're about to learn why you should never say that.

Because right after that Arthur, John, Jack and the wolves were riding into the camp. At first, I thought they were going to tell us that their fishing trip went smoothly. But it turns out that I was wrong. Not about them having a good time. They all had a wonderful time fishing. And they caught some fish. Even Ace and Buck had some salmon in their mouths.

But I was wrong about the Pinkertons. It turns out that they had a general idea of where we were after our little fiasco in Valentine. And they hoping to find another trail left by Micah. Fortunately, I took care of one of those problems. But it looked like I was going to have deal with the Pinkertons sooner than I was hoping to. Arthur told us what happened.

The Pinkertons saw John and Arthur showing Jack how to fish when they approached them. They wanted to know where the rest of the gang was, but John told them that they left the gang after a heist went wrong and a lot of people in the gang died. He knew they wouldn't believe him, but he had to come up with something to throw them off our trail. Ace and Buck were growling at them when they tried to get closer. They backed off a little but told Jack that he better not let wolves out of his sight, or he might have new coats instead of pets. Arthur and John didn't leave until they were sure that the Pinkertons were gone. Before returning to camp, they went in different directions to confuse them, just in case.

So on top of Charles, Lenny and Tilly being held hostage by the KKK, now we have the Pinkertons to worry about. It was a lot to take in at once. Everyone was getting freaked out and scared. Everyone was looking to Dutch and Hosea for answers, but it looked like they were still trying to figure out what they should do. So I decided that I had to come up with a plan this time. So I went over to Dutch and said:

"Dutch, I know you usually have a plan, but I think I know what we should do."

"Do you, Thomas? What do you think we should do?"

So I asked everyone to come over to the camp table. Once everyone was there, I unfolded a map that I bought over at Valentine. And throughout my travels, I've been marking down areas that would be ideal places to make camp if we had to be on the move again. Including Clemens Point (which was my favorite campsite in the entire game). I think everyone else was just more impressed with how detailed my map was. (The reason it took me so long to finish the game was because I wanted to do everything and explore everywhere in the game). So I said to everyone:

"Well, first things first. We're getting the others back. We're not going to leave them to die or be sold as slaves. So I'll head back to where the ambush was and hopefully, we'll find something or someone who will lead us to the rest of the bastards."

Hosea said to me:

"Are you sure that's wise, Thomas? There will most likely still be men there expecting us."

"I know. And I'm counting on that. But they'll be expecting at least one of us to return. Which is why I'll need some volunteers to come with me. I don't need everyone for this part of the plan, but I could use maybe 5 people at most."

Kieran was the first one to volunteer. He felt bad for not being able to save them before. So of course I let him come with me. Everyone wanted to come but I decided that it would be me, Kieran, Arthur, John and Dutch.

While we would head for the ambush site for clues, Hosea would have everyone pack up everything and be ready to go when we got back with the others. Once we knew where the others were, Dutch would return to the camp and get the rest of our fighters and bring them in once we made our move against these mother fuckers. Once we returned with everyone, we would leave for Clemens Point.

Dutch was very quiet while I was explaining the plan. But after I explained everything, he said to me:

"That's one hell of a plan, Thomas. Think you can pull it off, son?"

"You can count on me, Dutch."

"Good man. Now let's go find these bastards and get our people back!"

The five of us headed for our horses. Meanwhile, Hosea, Susan and Meanwhile, Hosea, Susan and Simon were busy getting everyone packing and getting them ready to go. I saw Mary-Beth grabbing White Fang and putting him in a wagon with the rest of the wolves. I looked at Mary-Beth in a way that told her not to worry about me. She nodded. I knew she would still be worried but at least she felt more reassured. Molly and Abigail said their loves and worries to Dutch and John. I felt bad that neither Arthur nor Kieran had anyone to wish them well. But I couldn't think about that right now. We had friends to save. Dutch said to us:

"Let's ride, boys! Hyah!"


	20. Chapter 20

Author Notes

Disclaimer: This chapter will contain language that is meant to show how evil and despicable the KKK are. Specifically they will be using the N word. This will also be the chapter with the most curses so far. I do this make it so that there would be no mercy or sympathy for these sons of bitches. I spoke with several of my friends, a lot of them black, and they approved of this. And I will admit, this is difficult for me to do because I am not a racist. But I also feel that it is necessary for the time period. So you have been warned and please don't hate me for this.

June 7th, 1899

Scarlet Meadows, Lemoyne

At the time of this journal entry, we've just left Horseshoe Overlook and headed for Clemens Point. We're only a few miles away from my favorite campsite from the game. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to start at where I left off in my last entry.

I should also mention that some of the members of the KKK, didn't exactly have some very nice things to say. Now that you know what you are in store for, let's get back to my last entry.

* * *

So in my last entry Dutch, John, Arthur, Kieran and I were heading back to the site of the ambush. It didn't take us long to get there. Before I got off my horse, Dutch said to us all:

"I'm betting those racist bastards are still here. Let's try to keep at least one of them alive. Remember, we need someone to tell us where the others are."

We nodded our heads and got off our horses. It was definitely a good spot for an ambush. Lots of trees and cover to protect them from incoming fire. And lots of places for them to hide and launch surprise attacks. But it was clear that they weren't as experienced as we were. At this moment, I was acting like a hunter. I was using all of my instincts to look for clues or something that would give them away. I had thought of just smoking them out by using Molotovs just at the florist on fire. But I didn't want to destroy the forest. But as we marched through the forest, there a sound to be heard. Which meant they were close.

After traveling for about half a mile in the forest, Arthur found something useful. A set of footprints. We followed them for about a mile until the tracks just stopped. I took that as a sign that the person who had these footprints went up a tree to not lead any tracks. But I suggested that we don't look up yet. They might have the drop on us, but we would be the ones to kill them first.

I then pulled out my pocket watch and used the inside cover as a reflective mirror. I couldn't see clearly but it was obvious that someone was above us. I whispered to Dutch what I saw. He then whispered:

"Good work, Thomas. Men keep eyes and ears open everywhere. Once we take one of them down, the others are going to come down on us hard. Thomas, you and Arthur are going to take out any of them from the trees. Me, John and Kieran will kill any bastards here on the ground. We go on your signal, Thomas."

I nodded. I pulled my bow from out of its strap and readied my arrow. I knew I was only going to get one shot at this. Because the instant I turn around and lifted my bow, they'd be taking aim and be ready to fire their guns. I didn't need my first shot to be a kill shot, but I needed to get him on the ground.

So I took a deep breath and readied myself. I then pulled the bowstring, turned around and fired the arrow. My arrow hit the bastard in the right shoulder. He fell to the ground after a 10-15-foot drop. He didn't die from the fall but was in a lot of pain. I put my next arrow in his left shoulder. Now he wouldn't be able to use either of his arms without being in pain. And for good measure, I shot an arrow in his left leg.

Right after the fucker went down, it started a firefight that made me feel like I was back in a game. But I remembered that this was the real deal now. I couldn't allow myself to get hit or seriously hurt because I couldn't respawn like I can in a game.

But anyway, as I was shooting men down from the trees with my bow, the rest of the guys were dealing with their own problems. Dutch was shooting them with his signature pair of Schofield revolvers. John with a double barrel shotgun. Arthur with a Lancaster repeater and Kieran with a cattleman's revolver.

I was so focused on taking care of these guys in front of me, I didn't realize that someone had their barrel pointed in my direction. I heard Dutch shout to me:

"Look out behind ya, kid!"

I instinctively turned around and fired my arrow. The arrow hit him square in the throat. And he fell like a dead branch from the tree. I turned to face Dutch and nodded to him.

I lost track of time, but eventually we were able to either kill everyone there or any survivors made a run for it quietly. And as much as I wanted to chase them all down, we had to focus on knowing where they were going. So I would save the chase for later. We returned to the first man who went down.

The bastard was trying to crawl away, but he wasn't getting very far. He pulled the arrows out of where I had put them, but he was still in a lot of pain. He found a revolver that one of his friends dropped and tried to pick it up. And just as he placed his hand on the gun, I placed my boot on his hand. I said to him:

"Nice try, asswipe."

I then kicked him in the stomach. As tempting as it was to kick him in the face, we needed him alive. After that, I pulled him back where he fell and put him against a tree. Dutch approached him and said:

"If you want to live to see another day, you'll tell us where our friends are."

The bastard replied:

"I ain't got nothing to say to you bunch of nigger lovers!"

Now he had gone and done it. He had just pushed one of my buttons. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifted him up just enough so that he could stand on his one good leg, and said to him:

"Let's try this again. Tell us where they are, or you're going to wish you were in Hell by the time I'm finished with you."

"Do your worst, you monkey lovers! I would gladly give my life to the cause."

I grabbed him tighter and slammed him against the tree. I then replied:

"Don't tempt me, you racist cocksucker. You really want to see what I can do when I'm pushed past my limit?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I don't think you've got the balls to do it."

Dutch and the others could see just how much he was pushing me. Dutch put his hand on my shoulder and said to me:

"Why don't you have Arthur or John do it, Thomas? They're really good at getting people to share information. And I don't want you to lose control of yourself."

I replied back:

"I appreciate the offer, Dutch. But I'm never going to get good at this if I don't practice. And besides, I can't stomach bastards like these."

"Neither can we, Thomas. But you shouldn't feel like you have to do that. You don't seem the type who does interrogations. "

"Please just let do this, Dutch. I have a feeling that after this, I won't want to do it again. So let me just get it out of myself so that it doesn't stay buried in myself."

I could see that Dutch didn't want to leave me alone. So I said to him.

"Tell you what? If I change my mind and can't do it, I'll call you out and then you'll send either Arthur or John after me. And then they'll take over for me."

Dutch nodded and left with the others, but I could see that he wasn't comfortable with this. Truth was, I wasn't either. I've never tortured someone before, and I wasn't really sure if I had the stomach for it.

But I had to remember that I couldn't allow myself to see these racist fuckers as people. They lost that privilege when they decided that they were better than everyone just because of their skin color or faith. No man is better just because of the way he looks, and no religion should give you the privilege of killing people.

So once I was left alone with the klan member, I decided that I would try to get him talking with fear first. So I took off his hood, threw it to the ground and saw his face. He was a man who appeared to be in his 30s, black hair, brown eyes and looked like he was missing a tooth or two. I grabbed him by the throat, not too tightly, and said:

"You will tell me what I want to know. The choice is whether you will tell me before the pain or after. So unless you want to end up looking like a corpse, you're going to tell me where our friends are."

He replied to me:

"Oh it's on the tip of my tongue."

I grabbed his cheeks with one hand and replied:

"Then let me help you get it off."

With my other hand, I reached for my Bowie knife. Once I pulled it out of the sheath, I had the cheek part of the knife placed on his cheek just under his eye. Which meant one false move and he'd lose an eye.

"The choice is yours. An eye or your tongue? Or who knows? I just might choose something else entirely. It all depends on how well you answer my questions. You and your pals took three of our friends captive earlier today. Where are they? "

He just placed a smug grin on his face and said to me:

"Even if I did tell you, it wouldn't do you any good, you nigger loving freak. They will be dead tonight. "

I realized at that moment; fear wasn't going to be enough. I would actually have to torture him. And although I wasn't really looking forward to it, I couldn't avoid the luxury of going soft. We had to find our friends quickly and I had to remind myself, I couldn't see these racist fucks as people.

So I took his right hand, slammed it against the tree and put my knife between his fingers. He still looked smug and said to me:

"You don't have the guts."

"You want to bet?"

I then very quickly, pulled the knife towards his pinky finger and cut it off from the bone. He screamed from the pain as he had lost the top digit of his pinky. I then said to him:

"YOU WANT ME TO KEEP GOING?! YOU GOT NINE MORE!"

"ALL RIGHT! FUCK! I'll tell you everything!"

"That's more like it. TALK! Or it'll be your thumb next!"

So he told me that Charles, Lenny, and Tilly were taken to the Cumberland Forest. Not a bad place to hide. It's near Beaver Hollow but still a few miles away from Fort Wallace. He also told me that all three of them and several other people were either going to be killed or sold into slavery that night as part of a ceremony. He said that was everything he knew and everything he could tell me.

And even though he told me all of this, I still didn't trust or believe him. So I said to him:

"Here's how it's going to go. You're coming with us. And you are going to direct us in the direction we need to get there. And if you think for one second that you can mislead us, I'm going to chop off all your fingers. But if you actually do manage to help us, I give you my word that I will not harm a single hair on your head after this. Do you understand?"

He nodded his head "yes". After that, I couldn't bear to hear his voice. So I had him gagged. He pointed out that his pinky was still bleeding. I gave him a cloth and told him to just hold it there.

When Dutch and the others returned, they saw that the bastard was holding his right hand that was covered with blood. Dutch said to me:

"I didn't think you could actually do it, Thomas."

"Me neither. But let's just hope I never have to do it again."

"Maybe next time, you should just let us handle it. But I am proud of you, Thomas. You managed to pull yourself together and you got him to talk. And it seems the only thing he's missing is just one finger. But all in all, I am proud of you. "

"Thanks Dutch. I got him to talk. Charles and the others are being held at Cumberland Forest. This racist bastard is going to lead us to where their ceremony will be tonight. Once we have the exact location, you can run back and get the rest of our fighters. While you do that, I'll make sure that we're all ready for them tonight."

"That sounds like a damn good plan, Thomas. So let's go! "

I grabbed the wounded klan member and put him on Winter. I felt bad that she had to have this racist son of a bitch on her as well, but I knew that it would only be temporary. And after this, I would give her a bath.

After I put our "guest "on Winter, we rode off towards the Cumberland Forest. I rode ahead because I had the only person who could show us the way. As we were riding, Arthur rode up next to me and asked me:

"How are you holding up, Thomas?"

"I'm all right, Arthur."

"Are you sure? Me and John feel bad for not being there to help you. We felt like you felt pressured into doing that."

"I appreciate the concerns, Arthur. I really do. But I'm all right. I'll feel better when we have everyone back home and we can put this behind us."

"If you say so. But you know you can always speak with any of us after this. Not just touch. We are all here for you. "

"I know. And I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Arthur smiled and rode behind me. I had to admit, it felt a little weird being at the front of everyone. But it also felt really good. But I had to remind myself, I was here to help the gang, not lead them. That was up to you Dutch and Hosea.

As we rode on, we had to pass by Fort Wallace. We were not close enough for them to see us unless they were watching us with binoculars. I would have to deal with the US Army in there later.

After riding for quite a distance, we finally reached the Cumberland Forest. And as it turned out, their campsite just so happened to be Six Point Cabin. The exact same spot where Kieran showed Dutch, Arthur and Bill where the O'Driscolls were supposed to be. This couldn't have been more perfect. Because now at least, it was in a location we've already been to. So it would be easy to find again.

So once we knew where we were, Dutch decided to run back to camp and get our reinforcements. He said to us:

"All right, boys. I'm going to get the others and bring them back here. While I'm doing that, find a spot to set up but no fires. We want to have the element of surprise on these bastards as much as possible. I need one of you to stay here and keep an eye on the klan members here. The others will look for a spot to prepare for our ambush."

I replied:

"I volunteer myself to act as the scout here."

"I had a feeling you would, Thomas. All right son but be careful. If any of them come near you kill them but do it quietly and try not to kill too many. We don't want them to get away before we can save our people."

"I understand, Dutch. I'll act only as a scout in this part of the mission. If I see anything of importance, I'll send a signal using an owl call."

Dutch nodded and said that once it gets dark, we will attack, save our people and kill them all. As he rode off, we got off our horses, Arthur asked me:

"So what do we do with this scumbag?"

He was referring to our "guest". So I approached him, took him off Winter, remover his gag but still kept my knife at his throat. I then asked him:

"And you're absolutely sure this is where it's going to take place? You know what would happen if you lied to me."

He said to me:

"I swear it on my mother's life. This is the spot. Look, I did what you asked me to do right? You're going to keep your word, right?"

"If you swear to me like that, I believe you. And I am indeed a man of my word."

So I moved my knife to make it look like I was going to cut off his binds, but then I quickly jabbed the knife into his throat. I will never forget the look on his face as I saw the life leave his eyes. The look that made him think that I went back on our deal. As he was dying, I said to him:

"Oh don't worry. I didn't go back on my word. I said that I wouldn't harm a single hair on your head if you managed to help us. You managed to help us. And this *I pulled a single strand of hair from his head* is the one hair I won't harm."

And then he died in my arms. I closed his eyes. After pulled my knife out of his throat, I started to wipe off the blood. John looked at me with disbelief like he couldn't believe I just did that. He then asked me:

"Was that really necessary, Thomas? He did what you asked him to do."

I wanted to say "Maybe not. But it was fun" as a joke but I knew that he wouldn't find that funny. So I said to him:

"It was. Because if I had let him go, he would either have run back to the camp and told them where we were, and we would then lose the element of surprise and quite possibly lose our people. Or he would tell them that he was captured and that he knows that we will be coming for him and the others. This was the best way to keep the element of surprise on our side. And never did I say we were going to let him go. "

Arthur put a hand on John's shoulder and said to him:

"He's right, John. At least this way, we still have the advantage on them. They don't know that we are practically at their doorstep. "

John thought about it for a minute and then admitted that it was the right call. So after that, Arthur picked up the dead body and said that he would drop it in the Dakota River. He said that once that was done, they were going to set up near the river. I nodded and went to my post.

Arthur, John and Kieran headed for the Dakota River and I was hiding behind some thick trees. But then I decided to climb one of the trees and use that instead. I could see better and not that many people look up. I checked my pocket watch and it around 5:30 PM. Which meant that it would get dark around 6:30 PM. I could only hope that Dutch and the others would get here soon.

Up on top of my tree and using my telescope, I could see that there were several more people being held captive by the Klan. I counted at least 50 people. All of them were in chains and either sitting down, standing or were chained against posts. Just seeing that made my blood boil. But I had to be patient. And I counted about either 75 or 80 members.

As I looked through my telescope, I saw Charles being chained against a pole. I guess the big guy was too much for them and put him there so he couldn't cause them any trouble. Lenny and Tilly were sitting next to each other. Lenny was holding Tilly in trying to comfort her.

About an hour later, the sun was starting to set. I was getting worried Dutch wasn't going to make it in time. But as if by some miracle, I heard hoofbeats from the distance and I saw Dutch riding on The Count. With him was Hosea, Bill, Javier, and Sean. And to my surprise, I even saw Jenny with them. As they were approaching, I gave my owl call. Dutch looked up and saw me climbing down from the tree.

"Nice thinking there, Thomas. Now what's going on and where are the others?"

"I counted at least 80 KKK members and about 50 captives, including our people. They've got Charles chained to a post and is the largest man in the camp. Spotting him won't be a problem. Lenny and Tilly are next to others. Arthur, John and Kieran are currently near the Dakota River. They're just waiting for us to go get them."

"All right. So here's the plan. Hosea, can you get Arthur and the others?"

"Of course, Dutch. Just be here when we get back. My eyesight ain't what it used to be."

"Of course. Bill and Sean. Go with him. We don't too many people here at the moment. We could accidentally draw a crowd."

They said that they would be back as quickly and as quietly as they could. They also asked us not to start without them. Dutch assured them that we wouldn't start without everyone here. Dutch continued.

"Meanwhile, Javier and Thomas will set up a few traps around the camp."

I asked him what kind he had in mind. Dutch said that we were going to set up bear traps and deer snares. We would then cover them up with leaves. Another effective trap would have been a pit fall but we didn't have the time to do that. So we went to certain parts around the camp and set up the traps. And while we were going to be setting up traps, Jenny would be keeping watch and see if anything had changed.

We only had a handful of bear traps on us. A total of 12 actually. We knew we weren't going to be able to catch all of them, but it would give us a better chance of stopping anyone from trying to free any of their friends. Anyone who tried to free them would be shot on sight. We only set up 6 snares as we didn't have enough time and we didn't want to accidentally get caught in our own traps.

After that, we headed back to where we were before. Hosea was just coming back with the others. Once everyone was back Dutch told us the plan. We knew that we didn't have the numbers to take them head on, but as of right now, they don't know we're here. So we had the element of surprise, for now at least. So we would encircle the camp from all sides as much as possible. A majority of us were going to be sniping the bastards from a distance but a few of us would be more direct. That way they can draw their attention, and either be killed someone else or get caught in a trap.

Dutch volunteered to take the direct approach, since he knew that the fuckers would want to go after him. Plus he was never fond of killing people from a distance. Of course Hosea objected but he knew that in this case, Dutch needed to get their attention. Hosea said he would feel better about Dutch going out there if he had back up. Naturally. I volunteered. Everyone volunteered but Dutch would only take 3 of us. So he chose Arthur, John and I to go with him. This was perfect because now I could make sure that the leader of these racist fucks won't be able to get away. And I had something very special planned for him.

Once the sunset around 6:45 PM, the bastards were starting to gather around. They started to round up the captives. A couple of men were riding towards the camp. White men looking to either watch them die or buy them as slaves like cattle at an auction. As everyone was gathered around in the camp, the head of the Klan, the Grand Wizard, called out for their attention. He shouted to them:

"My brothers and sisters! It pleases me to see you all here for such a noble cause! The return of the American way! The one where the white man reigned supreme over all men!"

The bastards started to cheer and whistle. Just hearing that made my blood boil. While this was going on, Dutch had everyone get into position. Dutch brought John, Arthur and me towards the Grand Wizard. We would approach them from behind. Hosea and the others hid either behind trees or in the trees themselves. Each of them were several feet away from each other so they could confuse the fuckers. As we were getting into position, the Grand Wizard was continuing to talk to his followers.

"America hasn't been the same since the end of the war. Look around you! We have goddamn niggers walking around in broad daylight like it's a normal thing! It's not! They deserve to be in their rightful place. At the bottom of our heels either in the grave as our slaves. And we've got quite a number of niggers here for sale. The ones that won't be sold will killed. And I have a very special surprise for our auction. Bring him in!"

When he shouted that, I thought he was talking about Charles. With how strong he is, he'd be an ideal worker for these bastards. But I was mistaken. I saw someone I was expecting to see so soon. Eagle Flies. This was something I wasn't expecting. Eagles Flies was being brought out from the cabin and once they saw him, they cheered even louder. The Grand Wizard continued.

"Behold! A savage red man! Captured and put in chains! What a display he would make at your home as a servant! Think of the crowds you'll bring in at home!"

They cheered even louder. Everyone was looking at him like they all wanted a piece of him. He continued.

"Now I know you all want him, but let's save him for last as the best part. Once you've filled your stock with fresh meat, we'll see who this savage ends up belonging to. So let's begin this grand auction!"

They brought out their first captive. It was Tilly. Just seeing her like this made my blood boil. I think Dutch was even madder. Because he asked if either of us had a stick of dynamite. Arthur handed him one. Dutch said:

"I'm going to throw this in the crowd of people in the middle over there. John, I want you to get down there quietly and free Charles from those bonds. And Arthur, go with him. While John's freeing Charles, get Lenny and the others. Thomas, you and I will draw their attention away as best they can. There's no room for mistakes here gentlemen. Let's get this done."

Arthur and John headed towards where Charles was being held. I didn't know how they were gong to free Charles and the others. I assume they had picklocks or took the keys from anyone watching them. As Dutch and I headed closer to the crowd, we could hear people placing bids for Tilly. Once person was willing to pay $700 for her. I took that as an insult. She's much more than that. All the women in our gang are priceless in my eyes. Especially Mary-Beth.

As the final bid was about to be announced for Tilly, Dutch asked if I had a light. I lit the fuse and Dutch threw it at the crowd. After he threw it, we both drew our guns. Someone must have seen the stick of dynamite, because I heard someone shout:

"Dynamite!"

And then there was an explosion. The dynamite stick took out 10 of them. The fuckers didn't know what hit them. Right after, Dutch and I walked towards them and started shooting. The bastards weren't prepared at all for this and it took them a few seconds to start reaching for their guns. And once that happened, Hosea signaled the others to start shooting. The bullets were flying from every direction. Dutch and I were taking cover behind trees and under chairs.

While the shooting was going on, I had the Grand Wizard in my sights. As tempting as it would have been to just shoot him, I had something special in store for him. So instead, I shot him in the legs. I would save him for last after killed all of his followers.

During the firefight, I saw John and Arthur running in with Charles by their side. His chains were gone, and he was using a nearby post as a bat until he took a shotgun from a dead man's hands. I saw him shoot a man that was trying to run away. I bet that felt good to him.

I saw Lenny along with several other rushing in towards the firefight to help us. Lenny was running towards Tilly to keep her safe until this was all over. A Klan member was running towards them, trying to stop them. But suddenly, the fucker fell to the ground and dropped like a brick. I heard Jenny shouting:

"You stay the hell away from my man!"

Now I see why Lenny was in love Jenny. She's one hell of a woman. She continued to provide covering fire for Lenny and Tilly until they were able to run towards where she was.

While this was going on, the other captives were going after these bastards with anything they could get their hands. Guns that belonged to dead men, large branches as bat, they even used their chains as weapons. I saw a man about to try and grab Eagle Flies. He didn't get very far. I shot him right between the eyes. Eagle Flies looked at me and nodded. I nodded back to him. He then took a gun from the dead man's body and started shooting.

There was so much screaming and so much blood but, in the end, we won. Almost the entire Klan was wiped out. A few survivors, the Grand Wizard included, were wounded and were being held by the very people they had as their captives not too long ago. In total, only 12 of them were still alive. Our traps did work but not all of them survived, because either they were killed while they were trapped or died from wounds they suffered before they were caught. But I was still happy with the results.

But we did lose a few good men as well. Out of the 51 captives, only 45 of them survived. It may have been a smaller number than what the KKK suffered but these people shouldn't have died. They shouldn't even have been here. I know we did everything we could, but I just wish we could have done more. After we take of these fuckers, I'll see if we can help give these poor souls a proper burial.

I saw Jenny running towards Lenny and Tilly. She gave Lenny a big kiss full on the mouth and gave Tilly a big hug. Tilly was trying her best not to cry after everything she's been through, but it was obvious it wasn't working. Jenny held her in a tight embrace and told her that she could cry as much as she wanted to. Lenny joined in as well and held the both of them together.

Charles came towards me with Eagle Flies by his side. I held out my hand and shook his hand and gave him a hug. He said to me:

"Thank you for saving me, Thomas. For saving all of us."

"It wasn't just me, Charles. But of course. You know we look out for each other."

"I know. But thank you again. Let me introduce you. This is Eagle Flies."

Of course I already knew who he was, but I didn't want to give anything away. So I shook his hand and acted like I didn't know his name. He said to me:

"Thank you for saving me. And I know it was you because I saw you kill the man that was going to kill me."

"It was my pleasure, Eagle Flies. I'm Thomas White. I'm just glad we were able to save most of you. And why do I feel like I've seen you before?"

"You have. After you and your gang entered the New Hanover territory, I was watching you fixing a wagon from on top of a cliff. I was there with my father, Rains Fall."

"Oh right. I remember now."

"Yes. And know that if you ever need anything, I will do whatever I can to help you. You have my word, Mr. White."

"That goes double for me, Eagle Flies."

Another voice spoke up.

"And me as well."

It was Dutch. He continued.

"You and your people are always in our gang and if you ever need our help, we will be more than happy to assist you. It's our way of apologizing for everything you've suffered from the corrupted white men."

"Thank you, Mr.…"

"Van Der Linde. Dutch Van Der Linde. And this partner, Mr. Hosea Matthews."

Hosea shook his hand and agreed with everything Dutch said. Eagle Flies thanked all of us for our help. He then said that he was going to head back to the reservation and tell his father that he was all right. Dutch offered to give one us a ride to the reservation, but he politely declined. He said that he didn't want us to get in trouble for entering the reservation without telling his people about what happened first. We all agreed that was the best decision. He took a horse from a post and headed home. We waved goodbye and hoped that we would see each other again, in better circumstances of course. I plan to meet him and his father again, but not just yet.

After that, we turned our attention to the remaining KKK members. Dutch wanted to have them immediately executed for their crimes. And while I agreed with him, we also had to send a message to anyone who sympathized with these racist fucks. Starting with the head honcho himself.

I asked Dutch if I could deal with him myself. Dutch was hesitant to have me handle it after what happened to the last person I dealt with. I told him that this would be the last time and that it was important that I do this. Better that I do than he does it because it wouldn't look good if he did it. Dutch saw my point and agreed but he still didn't like the idea. To ease his mind, I told him that it wasn't about revenge, but it was about making sure that we delivered a message to all racist bastards that no one was ever going to forget. And by the end of it, the people would speak more kindly about the Van Der Linde Gang. He liked the idea of that but also told me to not lose myself in this. I told him that I wouldn't.

So I approached the Grand Wizard. He was on his knees and still in pain after I shot him in the legs. I removed his hood and revealed his face. He looked to be in his late 50s-early 60s, gray hair on his head and in his beard and dark brown eyes. So no wonder he had such "fond" memories of life before the war. He lived through it. He looked at me with eyes full of hate and defiance. Like he had no shame in what he had done and what he was going to do. He said to me:

"So what no, nigger lover? What now?!"

He spit at my face. It hit my cheek. I made a grin. Now he just gave me another reason for him to die. I replied:

"Have it your way, motherfucker. Now, we're going to send a message that neither you nor your followers are ever going to forget. But before I kill you, I have one question. Do you have any children?"

He said that he didn't. He did but he disowned them because they didn't share his views.

"Good. Because I would have to kill them too."

I pulled out a book of matches. Before he died, I thought he should know what kind of message he was going to be given. Before he could even scream for help, I pistol whipped him so hard that he was knocked out from the first blow.

I then dragged his unconscious ass towards the cross that they were going to use. I then tied his body with a rope and attached it to Winter. I then had her pull him up to the cross until he was high enough that it would perfect to tie him to it. I used a barrel as a step ladder as I tied him up as if he was to be crucified. I thought about using ropes, but I thought it would be more symbolic if I used the chains from his former captives. I wrapped the chains together and then put a few nails I found in between the chains.

After that, I pulled out a match from the book. I struck the match against the book and a flame ignited. Before I threw the match at the unconscious bastard, I said to the crowd:

"Let this serve as an example to all of you who think you are better than everyone just because of the color of your skin. This is a new America. In this America, all men and women are created equal. No one is above the law. And from this moment on, none of are safe from us or from the law."

I threw the match at the fucker's knocked out body and watched as his coat started to catch on fire. I then started to walk away. A few minutes later, I could hear the man waking up and screaming as he realized that he was on fire. As much as I wanted to see him on fire, I couldn't bring myself to do it. As I walked towards Dutch and the others, Dutch touched my shoulder and said:

"That's one hell of a message, son. I hope to God that this truly will be the last time you do something like this."

"Me too, Dutch."

"And tell me something, were you really going to kill his children if he had any that weren't disowned?"

"No. But I wanted him to know what it's like to know that he was going to lose everything that mattered before he died."

"So you were never going to go through with it anyway?"

"Of course not. I may be a bad man at times, but I'm not an evil man."

Dutch smiled at that statement. And it's true. I may not always be good man, but I'm not heartless and I'm not evil. Or at least I try not to be. There was only one last thing to deal with before we left. The surviving members of the KKK. Dutch had a fitting punishment for them. He decided to leave their fate to the very same people that they just tried to kill. Whether they killed them or not, it was up to them. Naturally, the bastards didn't like that idea, but the former captives did. And naturally, they were all killed.

After the fuckers were killed, we decided to head back to camp. But before we left, one of the people asked us who we were. Dutch simply told them:

"We're the Van Der Linde Gang. And we're here to help the people. All the people."

We then rode off and headed back to Horseshoe Overlook. Lenny rode with Jenny and Tilly rode with Arthur. Although, I had a feeling that Javier wishes that she was riding with him instead. I was a quiet trip. We followed the same route we took to get there. And we made good time. By the time we got back, everything was packed and ready to go.

Everyone was very happy to see that we all made it back. Simon said that he would throw a big breakfast for everyone when made our new camp. Mary-Beth was so happy to see that I made it back alive that she threw her arms around me and kissed me. And after everything I've done and been through, it felt good to be done killing people for a while and could be with the people I love. Especially her.

But I would have to save the joy for later. At least for a little longer. We had to get to Clemens Point quickly before sunrise. It'll be easier to get there if there's no one to see us get there. So we put everyone in wagons except for those who were acting as security for the wagons. The wolf pups still rode in the wagons, but pretty soon they'll be able to walk with us.

In my next journal entry, I'll tell you all about our new campsite the people we met there. And how I might be able to keep Sean from losing his head in Rhodes.


End file.
